NewDelhi: Chhath puja, historically dedicated to Lord Surya and his wife Usha, is now part of political agendas.
While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi announced a public holiday for Chhath Puja on Thursday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a step ahead and launched a campaign for hassle-free rituals at the river banks.
It is believed that the devotees thank the lord and his wife for supporting life on earth and seek their protection and blessings. The festival is native to Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh and is also celebrated in Nepal.
Purvanchalis celebrating Chhath puja constitute nearly 25 per cent of the electorate in the Capital, enjoying a sizeable popularity among all three parties, including Congress.
Over the last couple of years, this community has emerged as a significant vote bank. They have played a crucial role in deciding the fate of candidates, the recent being the AAP’s big win in the Bawana by-polls.
Candidate Ram Chander, a Purvanchali himself, helped the party romp home to victory by securing votes from JJ clusters dominated by members of the community. BJP suffered a debacle in Bawana and lost the seat by a margin of 24,000 votes. It had fielded defector MLA from AAP, Ved Prakash.
From Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to other ministers in his Cabinet, all have been keeping a close watch on the puja arrangements this year. According to an official statement released by Development Minister Gopal Rai, the government has developed over 550 ghats this year for the devotees and cleanliness at these banks was the top priority for them. Apart from pumping in Rs 20 crore to develop Chhath ghats and maintaining them, civic body officers, engineers, and other bureaucrats have been directed to review all facilities.
Meanwhile, after launching an attack on AAP for “playing with” the faith of devotees, BJP started its own ‘shramdaan’ programme at different ghats. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, who has roots in Purvanchal, announced a helpline for Chhath samities on Monday, to facilitate smooth organisation of the festival.
Bureau Report
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