Lord Ram takes centre stage in CM Kejriwal’s Republic Day address

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal weaves his Republic Day address around Lord Ram and the principles of Ram Rajya.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday weaved his Republic Day address at Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium around lord Ram and said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has adopted the 10 principles essential for Ram Rajya.

He said the party is running the Delhi government based on these 10 principles. Interspersed with stories from Ramayana, the word ‘Ram’ appeared at least 53 times in Mr. Kejriwal’s 35-minute address. He used other pronouns at least 25 times to refer to Ram.

“On January 22, Shri Ram Lalla was consecrated in Ayodhya and this is a moment of pride and joy for the entire world. On one hand, we ought to worship lord Shri Ram Chandra. On the other, we should take inspiration from his life by trying to practice his message in our life,” Mr. Kejriwal said.

Expanding on the principles, the AAP supremo said, “The first principle in Ram Rajya is that no one dies of hunger. We give free ration to poor people and have built night shelters for the homeless.”

He said the second principle is that everyone should receive quality education. “During lord Ram’s times, every child was getting an education in ‘gurukuls’. Children of kings, workers, beggars, farmers, and traders, everyone used to get education in gurukuls only. But in our country a new custom was started. Children of the rich go to private schools and those of the poor go to government schools. The government schools don’t provide quality education,” he said.

“But in the last 8-9 years, we have changed this system in Delhi. Now, children of the poor get the best education in Delhi. The children of rich and poor people are sitting on the same desk. Taking inspiration from Ram Rajya, we are providing equal and quality education to all children in Delhi,” he said.

Mr. Kejriwal named free water, power, old age pension, free pilgrimage for senior citizens, providing safety through CCTV network, providing employment, less inflation, and equal rights for all as the rest of the 10 principles.