Raj Thackeray’s criticism of Chhath Puja in Mumbai has sparked a political controversy. While Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Nirupam objects to the stance, Congress leader Husain Dalwai supports it, amidst allegations of BJP trying to stir cultural tensions.
Political Leaders Clash Over Raj Thackeray’s Remarks on Chhath Puja
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 13 (ANI): Political leaders have shared contrasting reactions to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s X post regarding Chhath Puja, with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam objecting to Thackeray’s stance and Congress leader Husain Dalwai expressing support for it.
Reacting to the post, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam questioned Thackeray’s message and stated that the festival has no link to elections. “I also tried to read and understand Raj Thackeray’s lengthy X post. After reading it, the first question that came to my mind was: What exactly are you trying to say?” Nirupam said. “This entire event has nothing to do with the Uttar Pradesh elections. Elections will come and go, but Chhath Puja has been celebrated for thousands of years. The kind of stand he has taken against Chhath Puja is completely objectionable,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Husain Dalwai backed Thackeray’s opposition and questioned the celebration of the festival in Maharashtra. “Raj Thackeray has opposed it, and he is completely right to do so… Are they trying to turn our Mumbai into Bihar? What kind of thing is this? Mumbai belongs to the Marathi people and Mumbai will remain Mumbai; it will not become Bihar or Gujarat,” Dalwai said. “We simply will not allow this… Chhath Puja is not ours; it does not belong to the people of Maharashtra. Where did this Chhath Puja even come from? We have no idea,” he added.
On Thursday, Thackeray accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to create social and cultural tensions in Mumbai by using Chhath Puja as an issue and urged the public not to fall into their trap. He also alleged that the party was trying to provoke a conflict between Marathi and North Indian communities ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
In a post on X, Thackeray alleged that the BJP and the social media ecosystem it had nurtured were making every possible effort to create discord in Maharashtra by circulating reels related to Chhath Puja and what he described as ‘cultural aggression’ in its name. He also referred to the playing of Bhojpuri songs at some railway stations in Mumbai, claiming that the MNS had stopped it.
“However, the BJP appears to be disappointed that all these efforts have still not managed to create the kind of conflict it expects. And all this exercise is being undertaken with the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections in mind,” he said.
Questioning the BJP’s political strategy, Thackeray said the intellectual capacity of the party’s think tank appeared to have weakened, adding that its long-used formula of “divide and rule” would no longer work to win elections. He alleged that the BJP attempted to trigger Hindu-Muslim tensions ahead of Lok Sabha elections and caste-based divisions before state assembly elections.
“Whenever Lok Sabha elections approach, it tries to ignite Hindu-Muslim tensions. It brings Muslim women wearing burqas into playgrounds and gardens and attempts to scare people by saying, ‘Look, look, now they have reached our playgrounds and gardens. Of course, several videos of people wearing burqas to create an atmosphere of terror among Hindu women and men are already visible on social media,” he said. (ANI)