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Maharashtra govt to host grand Ramayan gala weeks ahead of Lok Sabha polls

The international Ramayan mahotsav will be held in Mumbai between 25 and 28 February.

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Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government has planned a high-profile international Ramayan mahotsav this month in Mumbai, just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The four-day event, to be held from 25-28 February, comes at a time when the BJP has been trying to emphasise its commitment to Hindutva amid growing resentment in the saffron fold over the party’s failure to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya despite leading a majority government at the Centre.

The mahotsav will be held at a ground in the plush Bandra Kurla Complex business district.

The state’s Devendra Fadnavis government has invited senior BJP leaders such as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to the event. Both Maharashtra and Haryana are scheduled to go to the polls later this year.


Also read: Uddhav Thackeray is the new Hamlet in Maharashtra politics


Artists from four countries to perform Ramayan

Fadnavis first announced his intention to host an international Ramayan event in Maharashtra last week, during a visit to Haryana for the inauguration of the Surajkund International Crafts Festival.

According to Maharashtra government officials, the Mumbai event will see artistes from Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and India perform the Ramayan in Sanskrit and Hindi. The troupes of each of the four countries will bring to life different episodes from the epic on different days, the officials added.

They said people will have to buy tickets to watch the performances, each of which will last two hours.

A state government official who did not wish to be named said the government was trying to make the fest a “very high-profile event” by inviting actors and sportspersons of international renown.

“We are trying to get actors such as Rekha, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan to attend the event to raise its profile,” the official said.

“One of our main intentions is to target the youth. We are approaching several student associations, and will probably offer students a special discount on tickets,” the official added.


Also read: Building Ram temple shouldn’t be as complicated as Kashmir conflict, Shiv Sena tells BJP


State govt insists event not political

Maharashtra Tourism Minister Jayakumar Rawal of the BJP said the event should not be seen through a political prism.

“Ram is not a political issue for us,” he added. “It is a matter of devotion. Ramayan is alive in many countries in different cultural contexts. Our intention is to not make the event political but to simply showcase Ramayan in its different forms to the entire world.”

The BJP has been courting a lot of criticism from Sangh affiliates as well as its oldest partner Shiv Sena for failing to fulfil its manifesto promise of building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya where the Babri masjid once stood.

With the future of their alliance in a state of limbo, the BJP and the Shiv Sena have been competing to prove who is a more devout proponent of Hindutva.

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