Politics over Chhath Puja heats up

BJP accuses Kejriwal of being anti-Purvanchal; AAP seeks L-G’s intervention

A day after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued specific orders prohibiting the observance of Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna, politics over the festival resurrected.

While the BJP accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being anti-Purvanchal and demanded that he convene an emergency meeting to discuss the issue, the Aam Aadmi Party sought Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal’s intervention to resolve the issue.

The celebration of Chhath Puja, the DDMA ordered, would be allowed only at designated sites located outside containment zones, subject to certain restrictions. No site for the observance of the puja, according to the DDMA, could be designated on the banks of the Yamuna.

“Respected Arvind Kejriwal, you are a member of the DDMA. Why did you not say anything in response to this issue during the DDMA meeting?” asked north-east Delhi BJP Manoj Tiwari, who also wrote to the Chief Minister regarding the prohibition on the observance of Chhath Puja.

‘Why no proposal?’

“Why did your government not table a proposal to allow Chhath Puja on the riverbank? You remained quiet because you have been anti-Chhath since the beginning. No one from the BJP is a member of the DDMA. If you indeed move a proposal to allow Chhath on the riverbank, make it public,” he added.

Mr. Tiwari demanded an emergency meeting to discuss the issue with all the seven BJP MPs from Delhi to reach a solution.

Meanwhile, the AAP urged the L-G to give permission to hold Chhath Puja on the ghats of the Yamuna with AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha writing to Mr. Baijal on the issue in addition to seeking an appointment to meet him too.

Mr. Jha said in a letter to the L-G that as per Friday’s DDMA order Chhath Puja is not allowed near the Yamuna, but people celebrate the festival on the banks of the river.

The AAP MLA said that as per officials it is not allowed because of concerns of polluting the river. He said that unlike Durga Puja or Ganesh Chaturthi, Chhath Puja idols are not immersed in the Yamuna and won’t cause pollution.

The DDMA order on Friday had also stated that people could offer or consign only such puja material at designated spaces which can then be collected by the municipal authorities concerned and other agencies for immediate and proper disposal under the overall supervision of the respective District Magistrate.