Maharashtra: Will celebrate dahi handi, say BJP and MNS

Even as the Maharashtra government prohibited all sorts of public gatherings such as community rituals, human pyramids and cultural events for the dahi handi festival to be held on Tuesday, the BJP and MNS announced that they will defy the Covid-19 restrictions and celebrate the festival

Even as the Maharashtra government prohibited all sorts of public gatherings such as community rituals, human pyramids and cultural events for the dahi handi festival to be held on Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) announced that they will defy the Covid-19 restrictions and celebrate the festival. Health experts have expressed concern and cautioned that such celebrations may turn into super-spreader events in the backdrop of the fast-spreading Delta variant.

The state government asked citizens to celebrate dahi handi in a simple manner and at home. A circular to this effect was issued by the state home department on Monday. (HT FILE)

The state government asked citizens to celebrate the festival in a simple manner and at home. A circular to this effect was issued by the state home department on Monday.

This is the second consecutive year the state government has banned public celebrations of festivals.

As part of the curbs put in place to prevent the spread of the Covid-19, the state government has banned public celebrations of festivals as well as religious and cultural gatherings. Last week, the central government also sent an advisory to the state asking it to put curbs on festivities so that they don’t turn out to be Covid-19 super-spreaders as the threat of a third wave of the pandemic looms large.

Dahi handi and Ganesh Chaturthi are major festivals in Maharashtra and are celebrated with much fanfare. Last year too, the public celebration was banned due to the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic. In a meeting held on August 23, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray urged organisers of the dahi handi festival to prioritise health amid the raging pandemic and set aside festivities for a while.

“Celebrate dahi handi in a simple manner by holding rituals at home. Do not hold any community rituals or cultural programmes. Organise symbolic events instead and telecast them live through local cable TV network or online to avoid crowding in the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic. Many mandals celebrate the festival by organising community events, in order to prevent transmission of Covid infections, and do not gather for any community events. Do not form human pyramids to celebrate the festival. Instead, hold blood donation and health camps,” states the circular issued on Monday.

However, BJP accused the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of deliberately banning Hindu festivals.

BJP legislator Ram Kadam, who organises dahi handi festival at Ghatkopar, said he will go ahead with his event. “We will celebrate the festival in a traditional manner and ensure that there is no crowding. The state government should have come out with rules like allowing only vaccinated people to participate and ensuring social distance. However, this has not been done. This shows that the state government is hell bent on not allowing Hindus to celebrate their festivals,” said Kadam.

He said the circular displays the arrogance of the state government. “We will first go to the Ghatkopar police station and seek permission. If they give, it’s good, but if they refuse we will still proceed with our programme,” Kadam said. He also accused the state government of twisting the central government’s advisory. “Even we don’t want people to crowd and will take all precautions, just not allowing is muzzling our rights,” he added.

The MNS, which is organizing a grand dahi handi at Thane, accused both the state and central government of hypocrisy. Party leader Bala Nandgaonkar said MNS will celebrate the festival come what may. “The state government cannot decide what we should celebrate. Other religions are allowed to celebrate, but when it comes to Hindu festivals all curbs are laid on us. We don’t care about the third wave,” said Nandgaonkar.

“The central government allows its newly appointed ministers to undertake ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ but prohibits Dahi Handi festival. Similarly, the Yuva Sena (youth wing of Shiv Sena) can hold demonstrations disregarding Covid-19 norms and we are told to not celebrate any festival. We will go ahead with the festival,” said MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande.

The Shiv Sena has accused both the BJP and MNS of playing with the lives of people. “The entire aim of both the parties is to paint us as anti-Hindu and for that they are ready to put the lives of the citizens in danger. It is the BJP-led Central Government which has asked us to impose curbs and their local party leaders are going against them,” said Sena legislator Manisha Kayande. “The dahi handi organised by Ram Kadam is a purely commercial event and has nothing to do with the festival. The state has allowed symbolic dahi handi, but what they want is a grand event which we cannot allow as we are staring at the third wave and cannot risk the lives of the people,” she added.

Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the state task force, expressed concern saying that the Delta variant is active in the state, which is also the fastest spreading Covid variant. As the cases doubled in Mumbai in the past ten days a lot of strict vigilance and tight adherences to Covid protocols are required to be followed. “The active Delta variant is in circulation and we need to be very cautious and careful. One must have seen, in the last ten days in Mumbai there has been a doubling of cases, which had gone down earlier. Such celebrations can become super spreader events, when we are just getting out of the second wave. We have seen what has happened after Eid and Onam in Kerala,” said Dr Joshi.

“We have seen that the world is suffering with Delta strain. It is as fast as chicken pox. It is not like the old strain. The R-naught of Delta is around 10-11 and is also the fastest spreading Covid strain. The R-naught of the old strain was only 3.5. Festivities across all religions need a lot of strict vigilance, control and tight adherences to Covid protocols,” he added.

On Thursday, the central government suggested the state government impose restrictions in the districts where test positivity is higher during upcoming festivals. “Even though the trajectory of daily new cases has shown a decline over the last month, there are some districts in Maharashtra which are showing early signs of upsurge in Covid-19 cases and test positivity… In view of mass events and public gathering expected during celebrations of upcoming festivals (including dahi handi and Ganeshotsav) in Maharashtra, it is advised that the state may consider imposing and enforcing local restrictions in public observation of these festivals and mass gatherings,” stated a letter written Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, ministry of health and family welfare on August 27.