Understanding the significance of the three books Arvind Kejriwal is reading in Tihar Jail

The recent 15-day remand of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail has sparked attention due to his specific requests for reading material during his confinement, which some argue should be considered a fundamental necessity for all prisoners, CM or not.

Kejriwal, who has been sentenced by the Rouse Avenue Court until April 15, has sought permission to have three books with him, two of them being the Hindu epics The Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, and How Prime Ministers Decide, which is an exploration into modern Indian politics. His legal team made a plea to the court for him to be allowed these books during his jail term.

The Delhi Chief Minister has frequently referenced The Bhagavad Gita, especially during his public appearances. Before the polling for Delhi in 2015, he adopted a philosophical and optimistic stance, drawing inspiration from the text and urging party workers to labour selflessly without expecting immediate results. He tweeted, “Leave the results to God. He will bless us.”

“Leave the results to God. He will bless us,” he wrote in a tweet.

कर्मण्ये वाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन: – मेरी सभी कार्यकर्ताओं से अपील है – निस्वार्थ भाव से काम करें, फल ईश्वर पर छोड़ दें। इश्वर भला करेंगे

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 6, 2015

During his two-day visit to Gujarat in 2022, Kejriwal even improvised on a Sanskrit verse, substituting “Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya” with “Yada Yada Hi Dhajj,” suggesting that when adversity strikes, it’s up to God to wield his symbolic broom, a reference to the Aam Aadmi Party’s emblem, to address the issues.

The AAP convener has also invoked Ramayana previously during his Dussehra address in 2023, saying that Lord Ram was ideal for his party and the Delhi government was trying to serve the people taking inspiration from the ideals of “Ram Rajya”. He, and several other party members including Atishi, have made that reference several times over the last year.

The Delhi Chief Minister has frequently referenced The Bhagavad Gita. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

The third book on Kejriwal’s list, How Prime Ministers Decide by veteran Indian journalist and political commentator Neerja Choudhary, delves into the decision-making processes of six Indian prime ministers and analyses significant decisions made during their tenures. It offers insights gleaned from interviews with prime ministers, political figures, bureaucrats, aides, and policymakers, shedding light on decision-making and strategy formulation from Indira Gandhi to Manmohan Singh.

The book covers Indira Gandhi’s strategies to regain power after the Emergency, Rajiv Gandhi’s response to the Shah Bano case, VP Singh’s handling of the Mandal Commission Report, the Babri Masjid demolition during PV Narasimha Rao’s tenure, among other pivotal moments.

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