New Delhi: The Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will perform Lakshmi Puja along with his Cabinet colleagues at Akshardham Temple on Diwali evening. The event will be telecast live. In a tweet, Kejriwal mentioned that this would be a way to encourage everyone to participate in Diwali.
सभी देशवासियों को दीपावली की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं, आप सभी पर मां लक्ष्मी का आशीर्वाद सदा बना रहे।
आज शाम 7 बजकर 39 मिनट पर दिल्ली के 2 करोड़ लोग मिलकर दिवाली पूजन और मंत्रोचारण करेंगे जिसका टीवी पर लाइव प्रसारण होगा। आइए हम सभी मिलकर दिल्ली की दिवाली का हिस्सा बनें।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 14, 2020
The move is a significant one. While some believe that it is a step forward in his soft Hindutva approach, for others it is a step he has had to take in order to avoid being labelled as ‘anti-Hindu’ for enforcing the ban on firecrackers.
On the face of it, the government’s effort intends to discourage people from coming out of their houses and bursting crackers, worsening a health crisis and increasing already high air pollution levels. Last year, the Delhi government had organised a laser lights display at Connaught Place around Diwali to discourage the bursting of crackers.
The Supreme Court has also banned crackers and fireworks in Delhi this week, as have the National Green Tribunal, in all districts under the National Capital Region, and all cities across the country with “poor” or worse air from November 9 to November 30.
Also read: NGT Bans Sale, Use of Firecrackers in Delhi-NCR from Tonight Till End November
A double announcement
The decision on the Lakshmi puja was announced by Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on November 6. At the same instance, Jain announced the ban on crackers from November 7 to November 30 “in view of the air pollution”. He had also connected the issue to the pandemic saying, “This time around, there is pollution and COVID-19.
The minister had reasoned that “when firecrackers are burst on Diwali, people are unable to breathe properly for around 3-4 hours late at night due to air pollution. There is a pandemic across the country. People have not seen such a thing in their entire lifetime. People should understand and refrain from bursting crackers. Everyone should conduct poojas and offer prayers at their homes. The Lakshmi Puja by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be broadcast live. Everyone can join him in their homes.”
Kejriwal also published a video message urging everyone to pray with him at the time of the puja.
“Diwali is on the 14th. Lord Ram returned after his 14-year exile on Diwali. Let the two crore people of Delhi pray together this year. The auspicious time for the puja is on the 14th, at 7.39 pm. I will be at Akshardham Temple with my ministers at 7.39 pm. The puja and chants will be streamed live on TV channels. Please pray with me at the same time. When 2 crore people of Delhi will pray together, wonderful vibrations will emanate. Visible and invisible powers will bless the people of Delhi,” the message said.
In the past, the Delhi government has promoted religious activities like the Haj pilgrimage, iftaar, Phool walon ki sair, the Kanwar Yatra and Chhath Puja. It also organises groups of the elderly who are sent on pilgrimages together.
However, no other chief minister of Delhi has performed a set of religious rituals as part of a government initiative.
Also read: AAP: Soft Hindutva or a Bulwark Without Illusions?
Unlike the BJP governments in states like Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh, which perform numerous pujas, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has a sizeable support base in other communities.
In the past year, AAP has found reason to distance itself from Muslims and stick to its soft Hindutva stance. The protests at Shaheen Bagh, against the Citizenship Amendment Act, found AAP in a spot. The party’s Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan’s support notwithstanding, Kejriwal had openly decried the protest. When it came to the violence in northeast Delhi, AAP dropped its councillor Tahir Hussain as soon as his name was brought up in connection with the murder of an Intelligence Bureau staffer. AAP did not change its stance, even when questions were asked of the extent of Hussain’s involvement.
But that did not help either. It soon found itself being accused of being anti-Muslim for not taking up the cause of numerous community youth who were arrested in riot cases. Former Delhi Minorities Commission chairperson Zafarul Islam Khan accused AAP of not presenting the panel’s fact-finding report on the Delhi riots before the assembly.
Several other fact-finding groups also accused the AAP government of not doing enough by means of compensation or welfare activities for the riot victims. All this while, the BJP has kept portraying AAP as anti-Hindu by accusing it of seeking to appoint advocates for riots cases whom the Delhi police did not want.