Delhi Cong condemns Kejriwal govt's decision to ban Chhath Puja in public places

Speaking to news agency ANI, Delhi Congress chief Anil Kumar Chaudhary said the government should allow Chhath puja at public places. "When Ramlila and Dussehra can be organised with certain conditions, then Chhath pooja can also be conducted with Covid-19 protocols in place," Chaudhary added.

Two days after the Aam Aadmi Party- (AAP) led government in Delhi said that Chhath puja celebrations will not be allowed in public places and river banks in the national capital, the Congress party on Saturday condemned the decision and asked for permission for the celebrations on November 7. Speaking to news agency ANI, Delhi Congress chief Anil Kumar Chaudhary said the government should allow Chhath puja at public places. "When Ramlila and Dussehra can be organised with certain conditions, then Chhath pooja can also be conducted with Covid-19 protocols in place," Chaudhary added.

This is the second consecutive year that public celebrations of Chhath have been banned in the national capital due to Covid-19.  (Biplov Bhuyan/HT file photo)

"The government should allow people to celebrate Chhath puja at open places on Yamuna Banks, Bawana Munak (canal) and Bhalswa lake. People could perform rituals while following the social distancing norms but the government has banned the celebration of Chhath Puja," he also told the news agency.

Chaudhary also pointed out that the owner of a house in Delhi might be hesitant in letting the tenant celebrate the puja and hence the government should allow it at public places.

Before Anil Kumar Chaudhary, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Tiwari also criticised the Delhi government's move to disallow people from publicly celebrating Chhath puja. Tiwari said on Friday that the decision to ban celebrations hurt the sentiments of the community. “1.8 crore people have got vaccinated…weekly markets, Metro, buses, theatre, liquor vends etc. are all open, then why can’t people celebrate Chhath while following Covid-19 restrictions, @ArvindKejriwal? Please meet and provide a solution,” Tiwari's tweet, roughly translated from Hindi, read.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued the order on Friday. “Chhath Puja festival celebrations shall not be allowed in public places, public grounds, riverbanks, ghats, temples, etc in Delhi and the public is advised to celebrate the same at their homes,” it said.

This is the second consecutive year that public celebrations of Chhath have been banned in the national capital due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. However, the DDMA allowed the public celebration of festivals such as Ramlila, Durga Puja and Dussehra, Hindustan Times reported on Thursday.

(With ANI inputs)