Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members staged a protest outside the Hanuman temple on Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Delhi, criticizing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal over the recently announced ‘Pujari & Granthi Samman Yojana.’
A BJP member accused Kejriwal of neglecting Brahmins for the last decade and questioned the authenticity of his promises. “In the last 10 years, he (Kejriwal) did not remember the Brahmins. All his announcements are lies. In Punjab, where his government is in power, he didn’t give a single penny. Here he promised Rs 18,000; he won’t give 18 paise. No Brahmins are going to fall for his dissembling,” the BJP member said.
Opposition Criticism
The scheme, which offers an honorarium of Rs 18,000 per month to temple priests and Gurudwara granthis, has faced sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly the BJP. They accused Kejriwal of introducing the scheme as an election gimmick ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections.
BJP Lok Sabha MP Bansuri Swaraj also slammed the initiative, labeling it a form of “appeasement politics.” Addressing a press conference, Swaraj said:
“Kejriwal’s government has not paid salaries to Imams and Maulvis for 17 months. He did not solve their problems but has now promised salaries to priests and granthis. There is no election model code of conduct now, so why are you waiting for the elections? For one decade, they did not respect ‘Pujaris,’ religious places, or ‘Granthis,’ and now they are trying to appease them for votes.”
Kejriwal’s Defense
In response, Arvind Kejriwal formally launched the registration for the Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana on Tuesday. He visited the Shri Marghat Wale Baba Mandir at Kashmere Gate with his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, to inaugurate the process.
The scheme, a first of its kind, has been positioned by Kejriwal as a measure to honor the contributions of priests and granthis in maintaining religious traditions.