Celebrate Ram Navmi, Hanuman Jayanti, Congress tells office bearers, lawmakers

Congress lawmaker Arif Masood said their party is secular and should refrain from showing an inclination towards one religion

Published on: Apr 6, 2022, 12:46:41 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: Opposition Congress has asked its office bearers and lawmakers in Madhya Pradesh to organise events to recite Ram Katha and Hanuman Chalisa at the district level as part of Ram Navmi and Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath. (ANI)

In a letter, Congress leader Chandra Prabhash Shekhar said the party’s state chief, Kamal Nath, has directed that the celebrations be held. Ram Navmi is being celebrated on April 10 and Hanuman Jayanti on April 16 when Nath will do a special puja in Chhindwara.

Congress lawmaker Arif Masood said their party is secular and should refrain from showing an inclination towards one religion. He added Shekhar’s letter did not mention the ongoing Muslim fasting month of Ramzan, chaiti chand, and Mahaveer Jayanti. “I objected because for Congress all the festivals should be equal.”

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajneesh Agrawal said worshipping Lord Ram and Hanuman is a matter of faith. “By releasing the letter, Congress leaders are trying to prove themselves as devotees of Lord Ram for political benefit only but they should understand that people know the difference between pretension and reality.”

Congress spokesman Ajay Yadav said they celebrate all festivals. “...the letter was issued so that leaders could connect with common people through celebrations. BJP should not comment over it because they contested many elections on the issue of Ram Temple and everybody knows that it is BJP which used the name of Lord Ram for their political benefit.” He refused to comment on Masood’s statement but said Eid will also be celebrated.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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