A relative newcomer in the political arena and dreaming big especially after the stupendous victory in the Punjab Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party is striving to get a historical mooring by adopting the legacy of B R Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh.
As the party basks in the glory of its huge victory in Punjab, where it vanquished established traditional parties including the Congress and the Akali Dal, and is looking to expand to other states, there is now a concerted effort to place Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh in its pantheon of historical icons.
The party has emphasised upon carrying forward the legacy of the two figures from India's struggle for independence, hoping that this provides it with a nationalistic identity that is distinct from the established parties like the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The effort ties up well with the AAP's claims of being a party with a difference.
The oath-taking ceremony of Bhagwant Mann as the new chief minister of Punjab was held not at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh, as has been the tradition, but at Khatkar Kalan, the birthplace of Bhagat Singh. Mann, who describes himself as a staunch follower of the revolutionary, always wears a yellow turban as a tribute to him. And AAP leaders in the state have now made the yellow turban a trend.
The Mann government has declared Bhagat Singh's martyrdom day, which is today, a public holiday. He paid tribute to the freedom fighter at Khatkar Kalan today and announced the launch of an anti-corruption helpline number.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced recently that only photographs of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh would be put up in offices of Delhi government. It was later clarified that photos of Mahatma Gandhi will continue to remain in the offices. In Kejriwal's virtual press conferences, the portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh are prominently visible in the background.
Recently, a grand musical based on the life of the father of the Indian Constitution and commissioned by the Kejriwal government was staged in the national capital.
If the legacy of Ambedkar will help the AAP claim its firm adherence to the Constitutional values, it also allows it to project itself as a party that emphathises with the concerns of the Dalit community and is keen to work for its upliftment.
As the AAP grows out of Delhi, besides adopting a nationalistic stance that is similar to that of the BJP and placing itself right of centre, the party's efforts to appropriate Ambedkar as an icon is clear. It is a natural progression for the party since its major support base in the national capital too belongs to the financially disadvantaged sections. Kejriwal has projected himself as a champion of the rights of the downtrodden, a person who hails from outside the political system and is on a mission to transform it.
The welfarist leader image of Kejriwal now appears to be branching out into an aggressive outreach towards the Dalits, and the AAP government in Delhi has hit upon an extremely creative way of helping him do so.
The aggressive avowal of the ideals of Bhagat Singh is in keeping with the AAP's emphasis on nationalism.
