‘Bharat’ Atishi Sits Next To Kejriwal's Empty Chair

Atishi, who took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on September 21, took charge of her position on Monday. However, Atishi did not sit on former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s seat, but kept it vacant. Sitting on a different chair, Atishi said she did so because Kejriwal has set an example of dignity in politics by stepping down. Moments later, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed it “drama”.

“I will work for four months as the Chief Minister of Delhi like Bharat (in Ramayana) did by keeping Lord Ram’s Khadaun (wooden slipper) on the throne. Hope people will bring back Kejriwal in February polls, his chair will remain in the Chief Minister’s office till then,” she said.

Meanwhile, the BJP slammed Atishi’s act and said “The drama should stop”. In an X post, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya wrote, “This drama in Delhi must stop. Today Atishi Marlena took charge by placing an empty chair next to her Chief Minister’s chair. That means Atishi is the Manmohan Singh of the Delhi government and the real Chief Minister is Arvind Kejriwal, whom the Supreme Court has stopped from going to the Delhi Secretariat, let alone signing files.” BJP’s Shehzad Poonawala also referred to Atishi as the “new Manmohan Singh” of Delhi.

RAMAYANA REFERENCE

Bharat, the younger brother of Lord Ram, was the regent of Ayodhya during Ram’s exile. Regarded for his devotion towards his elder brother, Bharat went against his mother and denied the throne of Ayodhya. However, later, Lord Ram told him he was presently living in exile to fulfill his father’s pledge, and that in his absence, his brother should take up the throne.

When Bharat realised that Ram could not be persuaded otherwise, he urged his half-brother to give him his sandals. He proposed to place Ram’s khadaun upon the throne of Ayodhya and rule as a regent for the period of Ram’s exile, as an ascetic.

Lord Ram consented to the idea, after which Bharat carried Ram’s khadaun upon his head, proceeding to Nandigrama, a village on the outskirts of Ayodhya. Placing the khadaun on the throne to represent Ram, Bharat assumed the regency of Kosala for fourteen years and the kingdom was administered from the village.