It is natural that when elections come, various parties make various promises. Many of them will remain promises that will never materialize. People generally do not give too much importance to these promises because it is common in democracies. But statements that lead to religious divisions among various groups should not come from responsible leaders. Although everyone clearly knows that such statements will shake the integrity of secular India, even the leaders of some parties make hateful statements with the aim of winning votes in the election by any means. The Supreme Court recently suggested that leaders should not make such hate speech and that cases should be filed against those who make such statements. Although not a hate speech, AAP leader Kejriwal made a controversial statement the other day. He demanded that images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha should be included in the new currency notes for the prosperity of the country. He said that this will lead to prosperity to improve the economic condition of the country.

With Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections and Delhi Municipal Corporation elections around the corner, it is clear that Kejriwal floated this Hindu card to appease the majority community. The rupee is depreciating now. Any thinking person will understand that the inclusion of images of gods cannot increase the value of the rupee. Clear and innovative economic measures are required to increase the value of the rupee. Leaders, who ignore such things and say that everything will be fine if pictures of Hindu Gods are included in the currency notes, will only create unnecessary controversies in society. Religion and politics are two different fields. Trying to combine the two can lead to dangerous consequences. Other communities will naturally demand that their symbols of worship be stamped on the notes. Worship and faith are completely private matters. The great tradition of India is to treat all religions equally. It is better for the country and the people that the leaders refrain from such controversial statements that hamper this tradition.