New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) The AAP on Friday claimed that Chhath Puja was celebrated smoothly in Delhi despite the opposition BJP creating several hurdles to disrupt the festivities. The Delhi government ensured all the facilities on the ghats so that people from Purvanchal can celebrate Chhath with full dignity and observe all rituals, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said at a press conference here.
“In 2014, there were only 60 Chhath ghats in the national capital, but this year, there were 1,800 ghats across the city. At every ghat, the Delhi government ensured all the facilities despite the BJP’s attempts to halt the celebrations,” Singh said. Even people from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also took part in the Chhath celebrations, he added. The four-day Chhath festival concluded on Friday morning with ‘Usha Arghya,’ where devotees offered their final prayers to the rising sun, seeking blessings for peace, health, and family protection.
The ruling AAP and the opposition BJP have been at loggerheads over the preparations for the Purvanchali festival. Both parties have accused each other of attempting to halt the Chhath preparations at various locations in the city. On Thursday, senior AAP leader Somnath Bharti accused the BJP of using the police and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to stop Purvanchalis from celebrating Chhath Puja in the national capital.
He accused the BJP of preventing devotees from Hauz Khas village from celebrating the festival at a park where it used to be observed for many years. Bharti also alleged that the BJP has filed an FIR against the devotees citing that the place where Chhath celebrations were held is a protected forest land.
Responding to the accusations, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, MLA Somnath Bharti and Akhileshpati Tripathi tried to disrupt Chhath Puja arrangements at different places over the past few days, which has shamed the people of the city,” Kapoor claimed. Chhath Puja has grown in prominence in Delhi, especially as the Purvanchali community makes up an estimated 30-40 percent of the city’s electorate, a factor that holds significance with assembly elections scheduled early next year. PTI MHS RPA
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