RSS doesn’t have a patent over shakhas, nationalism, says AAP leader Sanjay Singh

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on April 30 that it will open 'Tiranga Shakhas' in Uttar Pradesh on the lines of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). AAP, which is in power in Delhi and Punjab and is trying to make inroads elsewhere,  plans to open 10,000 shakhas from July 1 to counter what it calls the Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) "politics of hatred."

AAP’s Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha member who also oversees the party’s Uttar Pradesh chapter, says the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has taken a leaf out of the RSS book to educate people that India will be run only by the Constitution and not by the saffron party's "divide and rule" policy.

READ | It’s not a power crisis or a coal crisis. It’s a payment crisis!

In an interview with Moneycontrol, Singh, 50, said the BJP and RSS do not have a patent on shakhas and nationalism. Singh, who is among his party’s most vocal critic of the central government’s policies, also elaborated on why he thinks the centre is manufacturing a coal crisis to benefit big businesses. Edited excerpts:

The country has been facing power shortages because of a coal crisis. But you tweeted today that there is no coal crisis. What is the basis of your comment?

My statement is based on my knowledge as a trained mining engineer. India can never have a coal crisis because of many reasons. One, we are the third largest producer of coal in the world. Coal India is the world’s biggest company in coal production. During the pandemic, when everything was shut, coal production was not stopped. We have a surplus stock of coal, as has been reported by the media. Then how come  there is a crisis?

ध्यान से पढ़िये इस खबर को।
अगर कोयले का उत्पादन 27% बढ़ा है तो कोयले का संकट कैसे हो गया?
मतलब साफ़ है मामला भ्रष्टाचार का है पहले कोयले का संकट पैदा करो फिर अडानी से महँगी बिजली और कोयला ख़रीदो।
जनता को महँगी बिजली दो। https://t.co/aU7oTSIeZk

— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) May 2, 2022

The Centre created a similar artificial coal crisis six months ago. What I want to say is that the government has been manufacturing a coal crisis from time to time to benefit companies which sell coal at exorbitant prices to foreign countries. Ultimately, the burden is on consumers.

Your party plans tiranga shakhas in Uttar Pradesh. Isn’t it something that RSS has been doing?

Let me tell you frankly, RSS doesn’t have patent on holding shakhas, or on religion and nationalism. This country belongs to us as much as it belongs to them. If we are planning shakhas with the tricolour at the front and taking a pledge that the country will only be run by the Constitution, I do not think there is anything wrong. I do not understand why BJP leaders have a problem with that.

There was violence in Jahangirpuri are of Delhi last month. BJP said your party was responsible for the riots. Many even questioned CM Arvind Kejriwal for not visiting the riot-affected areas?

All of us know that law and order in Delhi is under Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Unfortunately, questions that should be asked of him are asked of us. What stops Amit Shah from  visiting riot-hit areas? Even if Arvind Kejriwal, or any of his leaders would go (to such areas), the same BJP will level different allegations. We have been exposing that BJP has been spreading hate and orchestrating riots in the country.

Also, read | Some countries want to patent Yoga, but it belongs to India: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

That is why we have called it Bharatiya Jhagda Party. We know that one of the accused, Ansar, in the Jahangirpuri violence, turned out to be a BJP-affiliated person.

The BJP has accused AAP of administrative failure and not upholding and law and order in Punjab following clashes in Patiala last week...

Everyone saw how our government controlled the situation in Patiala. The violence was orchestrated by the BJP, Congress Akali Dal. We arrested those involved and will not spare anyone involved in the violence. Twenty-five people were booked for the incident, while three senior police officials from Patiala region were shunted out.

A section of the society has accused AAP and its leaders of blaming the Rohingyas and refugees from Bangladesh for the violence in Delhi.

As I said before, it’s the BJP that has been responsible for riots across the country. They will keep using Rohingyas and Bangladeshi during poll campaigns but will not do anything on the issue. When was the last time that (Prime Minister Narendra)  Modiji raised the Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrant issue on a diplomatic level?

क्या भाजपा अगले हफ़्ते गुजरात विधान सभा भंग करके गुजरात के चुनावों का एलान करने जा रही है? “आप” का इतना डर?

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 30, 2022

When we ask, the government says it has no numbers. Who is in charge of border security?. How can any immigrant enter India, or Delhi, without the knowledge of the Centre. This is the Centre’s failure.

Arvind Kejriwal said last week that BJP was about to dissolve the Gujarat Assembly. What is the basis of the allegation?

The BJP is scared of AAP and its rise. That’s why they delayed MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) elections and the brought civic bodies’ unification bill. In Gujarat also, they fear AAP is expanding its presence. We have information that BJP is going dissolve the assembly before the scheduled assembly polls later this year.