This Chhath has a poll feel
Ambika Pandit & Alok KN Mishra
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New Delhi
TNN
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Civic Elections Ahead, AAP Govt Trying Hard For A Smooth Fest
Usually , snakes do not attract the interest of the government. But on Friday , when Chhath crowds spotted reptiles at Geeta Colony Ghat and Hathi Ghat, the government promptly responded.“We have informed the forest department, which asked an NGO to take care of the problem,“ said an official. The alacrity of the government evidenced its special interest in Chhath, not for its spiritual aspect as much as the political benefit that could accrue from patronising a vote bank consisting of an estimated 20 lakh people originally from Bihar and Bhojpurispeaking Poorvanchal.Thanks to its political significance, the sun festival has only got bigger by the year. This time, it is especially important, for the municipal elections are slated for next year and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party plans to run its first full campaign for the civic polls. So, from 69 Chhath ghats in 2014, the number of waterbodies where puja will be performed on Sunday and Monday has gone up to 278. It will be at these puja sites that voters for the municipal polls will be wooed.
Not only are cabinet ministers, including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, likely to visit the Chhath ghats during the festival, but the state government has authorised the revenue department to ensure that all districts provide the necessary facilities to puja committees, including clean ghats, tents, electricity, water and security .
When TOI asked tourism and water minister Kapil Mishra, a Poorvanchali himself, if these decisions were aimed at winning over a critical constituency , he deftly sidestepped a direct answer.“One may take the political angle here, but the fact is the puja would have been performed even if the government hadn't involved itself. Someone had to make arran gements, so why not the state?“ he said. The Poorvanchali significance is not lost on AAP -nine of its MLAs belong to that community.
Meanwhile, even as the festival began on Friday , hectic work continued to ensure the best facilities for the devout. The arrangements for light, tents and security were nearing completion at the popular ghats on the Yamuna, and the river water was being cleaned.“The water quality is better than what it was yesterday . We have re moved a lot of garbage from the river,“ said a man at Gita Ghat near Kashmere Gate.
SDM Kotwali Akhil Kumar, overseeing the arrangements at Haathi Ghat near ITO, said, “We have asked the Boat Club to station two boats and 10 divers for safety.“ Officials from the disaster management, flood control, irrigation and police departments as well as municipal corporation officials are engaged in finalising the arrangements at the various ghats and waterbodies.
Not only are cabinet ministers, including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, likely to visit the Chhath ghats during the festival, but the state government has authorised the revenue department to ensure that all districts provide the necessary facilities to puja committees, including clean ghats, tents, electricity, water and security .
When TOI asked tourism and water minister Kapil Mishra, a Poorvanchali himself, if these decisions were aimed at winning over a critical constituency , he deftly sidestepped a direct answer.“One may take the political angle here, but the fact is the puja would have been performed even if the government hadn't involved itself. Someone had to make arran gements, so why not the state?“ he said. The Poorvanchali significance is not lost on AAP -nine of its MLAs belong to that community.
Meanwhile, even as the festival began on Friday , hectic work continued to ensure the best facilities for the devout. The arrangements for light, tents and security were nearing completion at the popular ghats on the Yamuna, and the river water was being cleaned.“The water quality is better than what it was yesterday . We have re moved a lot of garbage from the river,“ said a man at Gita Ghat near Kashmere Gate.
SDM Kotwali Akhil Kumar, overseeing the arrangements at Haathi Ghat near ITO, said, “We have asked the Boat Club to station two boats and 10 divers for safety.“ Officials from the disaster management, flood control, irrigation and police departments as well as municipal corporation officials are engaged in finalising the arrangements at the various ghats and waterbodies.
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