NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP
Manoj Tiwari is going to start a 'Chhath Yatra' to interact with people of the Purvanchali community of Delhi – mostly people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh – and gather their opinion on celebrating
Chhath
puja in public places.
Delhi Disaster Management Authority has banned public celebrations of Chhath puja due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation for the second consecutive year.
Tiwari has been demanding that Chhath puja celebrations in riverbeds, ponds and other public places should be allowed because Covid-19 is largely under control in the capital.
“The Kejriwal government has allowed the opening of swimming pools where people are enjoying for hours together every day. When so many people using swimming pools for hours can't spread Covid-19 then how can Chhath puja celebration for which devotees get into knee-deep water only for some time on two days spread Covid-19. The Purvanchali community will not tolerate this (ban) at any cost,” Tiwari, who represents northeast Delhi, said in a statement.
Tiwari suggested that the DDMA should impose strict conditions for allowing Chhath puja in public places. “It can make body temperature check mandatory for entry into Chhath puja sites and also make it necessary to video record the celebrations. Nearly 2 crore vaccine doses have been administered in Delhi. The Chhath puja committees are ready to maintain social distancing and strictly follow all Covid-19 norms. Police personnel and civil defence volunteers can be deployed to check Covid-19 norms violations at Chhath Ghats,” Tiwari stated.
After 'Chhath Yatra' is over Tiwari will take a delegation to meet DDMA chairman
Anil Baijal, CM Kejriwal and DDMA officials and convince them to give permission for Chhath puja in public places, said
Neelkant Bakshi
, a Delhi BJP functionary. Bakshi added that Tiwari will announce the ‘Chhath Yatra’ schedule at a press conference on Friday.
The municipal elections in the capital are less than six months away and the BJP is also trying to reach out to the Purvanchali community over the issue.
Kejriwal recently appealed to all political parties not to politicise the ban. “People need to get into the water during Chhath puja. If a single person is Covid-19 positive, they will infect the water and others may get infected. I want the situation to improve further and I want people to celebrate Chhath puja with pomp and show. But the situation is currently adverse. Delhi has witnessed four Covid-19 waves and the last wave left so many people dead. We do not want the situation to deteriorate again,” Kejriwal recently said