North-east Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and several party workers were injured during a protest outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Tuesday demanding that the Delhi government reverse its decision to ban Chhath Puja.
Addressing protestors, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta accused the government of being anti-Hindu, and said that it was rather strange to ban Chhath Puja celebrations when markets, shops, cinema halls and even swimming pools in the city were open.
“Chhath Puja is like a ‘sanjeevani’ for about 80 lakh Poorvanchalis in Delhi. The city is running on full stream with weekly bazars , malls and even swimming pools being reopened. Then why can’t Chhath be celebrated under the same rules,” Mr. Tiwari asked.
Mr. Tiwari suffered injuries after facing a water cannon which had been put in place as a crowd control measure by the police outside Mr. Kejriwal’s residence. The BJP leader was treated at Safdurjung Hospital before being discharged. The party alleged that several other BJP workers also got injured during the agitation.
“The BJP is opposing this decision because it is an attack on Poorvanchalis’ religious feelings and we are with them at this hour. The party will celebrate the festival with fully COVID-19 safety guidelines in mind. The fact is Mr. Kejriwal is running away from his responsibilities,” Mr. Gupta said.
