MNS Corporator Contradicts Party, Organises Chhath Puja
The development has triggered political discussions, as the MNS has taken a strong stand against Chhath Puja and the immersion of puja materials at locations such as the historic Banganga Tank and Girgaum Chowpatty.
Mumbai: In an apparent contradiction within the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the party’s corporator Surekha Parab has organised a Chhath Puja programme in the Appa Pada area of Malad East, even as the party has been opposing the festival at several prominent locations in Mumbai.
The event is being organised by Ms Parab and her brother, Bhaskar Parab, an MNS Vibhagiya (divisional) president. Bhaskar Parab claimed that an organisation, the Mata Lakhpati Devi Charitable Foundation, which has been organising Chhath Puja for the last 22 years, had used their photograph out of love and affection.
The development has triggered political discussions, as the MNS has taken a strong stand against Chhath Puja and the immersion of puja materials at locations such as the historic Banganga Tank and Girgaum Chowpatty. Meanwhile, the BJP has been extending support to Chhath Puja organisers by facilitating basic amenities at the venue near Juhu Chowpatty, which is also expected to be visited by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Surekha Parab, elected corporator from Ward No. 38 of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), represents the Appa Pada area in Malad East, which has a sizeable North Indian population, accounting for over 50 per cent of its residents. Chhath Puja is celebrated on a large scale in the area.
According to sources, the MNS corporator has chipped in for the Chhath Puja celebrations. This is in contrast to the party's stand, as MNS workers had staged an aggressive protest against a proposed Chhath Puja-related meeting concerning Banganga Tank, warning that they would not allow celebrations at the site under any circumstances.
Apart from this, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has also alleged that Chhath Puja celebrations were being used as a means of displaying political strength and promoting what he termed “cultural encroachment” in Maharashtra. He has also accused the BJP of deliberately creating tensions between the Marathi and North Indian communities in Mumbai, keeping the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections in mind.
Against this backdrop, the decision by an MNS corporator to organise Chhath Puja in Malad has raised questions about the party's position on the festival and the apparent differences between its local representatives and its leadership.
Pawan Tripathi, general secretary of the Mumbai BJP and treasurer of the Siddhivinayak Temple, said that Chhath Puja is a Hindu religious festival and that every person in the country has the right to celebrate their festivals according to their traditions. Those who want to oppose it should do so.
“Chhath Puja is a festival of faith. Devotees observing the Chhath fast should perform their rituals with utmost devotion. Those who want to politicise the issue are free to do so. We only pray that Chhathi Maiya blesses them with wisdom and good sense,” Mr Tripathi said.
