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Chhattisgarh govt likely to restore name of ‘Rajim Kumbh Mela’
The name was changed by the previous Congress government as ‘Rajim Punni Mela’ after forming the government in 2018
RAIPUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is likely to restore the name of the Rajim religious congregation as ‘Rajim Kumbh Mela’, which was changed by the previous Congress government as ‘Rajim Punni Mela’ after forming the government in 2018.
The decision in this regard is likely to be taken in the second cabinet meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said.
Rajim Kumbh is an annual Hindu pilgrimage held in Rajim, located in Gariyaband district where thousands of devotees take bath in sacred rivers. The ritual of ‘Kalpwas’ is performed at Rajim just like it is at Prayagaraj in Uttar Pradesh. The religious congregation at Rajim performs a ceremony known as the ‘fifth Kumbh’ near the holy confluence of the Mahanadi, Pairi and Sondur rivers in Rajim.
The congregation will start on February 22 for the next 15 days.
In 2019, the Congress after forming the government claimed that they were restoring the ancient name of the congregation. The party had argued that the ancient name was Rajim Magh Punni Mela not Rajim Kumbh and the BJP government in 2006 changed the name for political motives and made it Kumbh mela.
“We are hoping that the name of the congregation will be renamed as Rajim Kumbh Mela in this cabinet only,” a senior BJP leader said.
People familiar with the matter said that discussion will also be taken over the continuation of schemes which were started by the Congress government in the last five years.
“The decisions like giving consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigating cases in Chhattisgarh will also be discussed in the meeting,” said a leader familiar with the matter.
In the first cabinet meeting which took place on December 14, the state government decided to provide pending bonus of 2017-2018 on paddy procurement on December 25 and further announced that 18 lakh houses will be beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
