With a 30-foot effigy of a cockroach to be burnt alongside those of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran at a Ramlila event in New Delhi, some social media users are questioning its propriety at a religious celebration while organisers maintain the initiative aims to promote cleanliness.
The Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee, which organises the annual event in Pitampura, said the cockroach symbolises filth and dirt and the initiative aims to spread awareness about cleanliness under 'Swachh Bharat' and 'Swachh Delhi' campaigns.
Committee president and BJP MLA Ashok Goel told PTI that the decision is not politically motivated and is intended to convey the message of the victory of good over evil while highlighting the importance of cleanliness.
The cockroach will be depicted among the 'asuras' in Ravan's army, he said.
The development comes amid protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in the capital. The group had initially protested against former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and has now joined demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Several social media users have questioned the decision, arguing that bringing contemporary political developments into a religious celebration could hurt sentiments and divert attention from the festival's traditional significance.
"Dussehra symbolises the victory of good over evil. Why turn this beautiful tradition into a platform for contemporary political rivalries?" a user wrote, urging people to ensure that festivals unite communities rather than deepen political divisions.
Another user said equating Ravan with a cockroach would not affect the CJP but could hurt Hindu sentiments. Others questioned the religious basis of the initiative and alleged that the festival was being used to advance a political message.
"As a Hindu, this is very disrespectful to the religion and everything that I tend to follow in my life. They are politicising Hinduism and mixing things for their own benefit," a user said.
Another social media user questioned the decision in the context of Delhi's environmental concerns, asking why a large effigy needed to be burnt when the city was already grappling with air pollution.
Goel, however, said the committee had used its annual effigy-burning tradition to highlight different social evils in previous years. Last year, the committee burnt an effigy symbolising Naxalism, while the year before, one of the effigies represented terrorism, he said.
He maintained that this year's cockroach effigy was intended to highlight filth and uncleanliness and was not linked to the CJP or any political development.
Separately, Sandip Bindal, president of the Indraprastha Ramleela Committee in Patparganj, said the committee would burn a fourth effigy, titled 'Aaj ka Ravan', alongside those of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran, as part of its annual tradition of highlighting social evils.
Bindal said 'Aaj ka Ravan' represents price manipulation in generic medicines and counterfeit drugs.
"The prices are being inflated to such an extent that an ordinary person cannot afford them. On top of that, there is a risk of someone buying a medicine that is not even effective," he said.
He added that the fourth effigy is selected through a voting process involving committee members and other people during the first eight days of the Ramlila and is burnt on the final day.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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