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Journalism of Courage
A month-long season of festivities is upon us. Starting with Dussehra, it is followed by Diwali and concludes with Chhath Puja. For people, it is a time to soak in the festive spirit, for traders an opportunity to mint money, and for public representatives in Delhi days of hectic political activity.
Politicians are seen participating in Ramlila on the day of Dussehra before switching to politicking over the ban on firecrackers in the run-up to Diwali. In the past few years, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Delhi BJP have also had showdowns during Chhath Puja.
Wrangling over firecrackers
This year, what can be termed “festival politics” is already underway. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has moved the Supreme Court against the ban on firecrackers in Delhi during Diwali. The North East Delhi MP said, “Once again, (Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal put an arbitrary blanket ban just like Aurangzeb. Traders will suffer a heavy loss as it will hamper their livelihood after the Covid-19 setback.”
The Delhi government has imposed a complete ban on the production, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers, including green crackers, till January 1, 2023, citing pollution. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai earlier said, “Emission from firecrackers seems to be an important contributing factor in worsening Delhi’s pollution in the winter. Given such a situation, a complete ban is being imposed on the production, storage, sale and use of all types of firecrackers so that people’s lives can be saved.”
But Tiwari claimed that burning firecrackers was not the major cause of pollution. “There are several other factors as well that need to be controlled, including stubble burning. Now, the AAP does not have the excuse that it does not have power in Punjab and so it can’t do anything.”
The BJP MP said the government could at least allow green crackers, which pollute less. “Why are the festivals of Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians being targeted to appease one community?” Tiwari asked.
Last year too, the Delhi government announced a complete ban on firecrackers till January 1, 2022, which was opposed by some BJP leaders. Among them was Kapil Mishra who alleged, “Hindus are the easiest to target.”
The AAP-led administration, however, was not the only one to impose a ban on firecrackers. Neighbouring Haryana, which is ruled by the BJP, banned the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in 14 of its districts in the National Capital Region (NCR) while Uttar Pradesh allowed the use of green crackers on Diwali just for two hours in areas with moderate or better air quality.
Despite these restrictions, people burst firecrackers till late at night in Delhi, Noida, Faridabad, and Gurugram. The resulting emissions pushed up the national Capital’s 24-hour average air quality index the day after to 462, the highest in five years.
Dussehra and acting chops
The politics around Dussehra is more about celebrating the festival. Politicians from across parties visit Ramlilas and some even perform in them. In the past, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal, and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have visited Navratra pandals in the Capital as chief guests.
Among those who have played different characters in Ramlilas are Manoj Tiwari, Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan, former Union Minister Harsh Varshan, and AAP leader Brajesh Goyal. This year, too, Union Cabinet ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Arjun Ram Meghwal will participate in the Luv Kush Ramlila at the Red Fort. While Choubey, the Minister of State (MoS) for Environment, will play the role of Rishi Vashishth, MoS Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste will essay the role of Nishad Raj. Meghwal, MoS Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, will sing bhajans. Luv Kush Ramlila Committee president Arjun Kumar said Tiwari would play the role of Kewat, a character in Ramayana who took Ram, Sita, and Lakshman across the Ganga in his boat when the three went into exile.
Chhath and the Purvacnhal pie
Chhath Puja is tied to politics in the national Capital as it is one of the major festivals of Purvanchalis, who constitute more than 30 per cent of the city’s population. People from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are believed to be in the majority in 16 of 70 Assembly seats in the Capital, as per a survey of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, both the Delhi government and BJP leaders in charge of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) spent large sums of money to prepare Chhath ghats. In the past few years, the BJP and AAP leaders have been involved in showdowns over Chhath Puja, with both parties accusing each other of being anti-Purvanchal.
Last year, Manoj Tiwari organised rath yatras in a few areas with a sizeable Purvanchali population to protest against the Delhi government’s curbs on Chhath celebrations because of Covid. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had issued guidelines saying Chhath celebrations would not be allowed in public places and on river banks.
The AAP responded by holding then Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, who they said had been “appointed by BJP”, for the DDMA’s decision. BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma violated Covid protocols and conducted Chhath on the Yamuna ghat at ITO. AAP MLAs Somnath Bharti and Saurabh Bhardwaj also accused some BJP corporators of creating obstructions for devotees looking to observe rituals at some of the city parks.
“It is a unique situation during Chhath in Delhi,” said a Congress leader. “Both the BJP and the AAP go all out to woo Purvanchalis. Because of their growing population, no politician can afford to go against them. Both parties call each other anti-Purvanchal.”
Perceived as a Congress vote bank earlier, Purvanchali voters shifted towards the AAP in large numbers during the Assembly polls in 2015 when 13 leaders with a background in Purvanchal emerged victorious. The following year, the BJP appointed Tiwari, who comes from Purvanchal, its Delhi unit chief. At the time, the move was almost unthinkable in a Delhi dominated by Punjabi and Bania leaders.
This year, the build-up to the showdown started with Tiwari last week writing a letter to L-G VK Saxena to ensure that ghats are prepared ahead of the festival.
