Chhath Puja celebrated with traditional fervour
NEW DELHi: The Delhi ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) deployed its leaders and volunteers across the national capital to facilitate celebration of Chhath festival. Several senior AAP office-bearers and leaders were spotted at the Chhath ghats. With various Delhi government agencies stating that 'ghats' have been set up for the four-day festival at around 1,000 locations, the ruling AAP and BJP have engaged in blame game over preparations for the festival.
The devotees, mainly women offer 'arghya' to the setting sun and the rising sun in succession on Chhath. It is a major festival in eastern UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, although it is celebrated in other parts of the country as well where Purvnanchalis are settled in significant numbers.
With spruced up Yamuna ghats (banks) and ancillary roads, tight security arrangements were in place as devotees started visiting various ghats to worship the setting sun.
AAP government has managed 1,000 ghats along the banks of River Yamuna for Chhat Puja and announced gazetted holiday in Delhi.
It is pertinent to mention that AAP government had set up 565 ghats in the last years but now 1,000 ghats are being set up for Purvanchali people. Earlier, only 60 ghats were on the bank of Yamuna river.
According to officials, at least 1.5 lakh people visited the banks of Yamuna to offer their prayers to the setting sun. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited Chhath celebrations at the Children's Park in West Vinod Nagar, Patparganj. AAP MLAs as well as senior leaders such as Raghav Chadha and Dileep Panday also visited Chhath ghats.
Meanwhile, Delhi Development Minister and MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Rajesh Gupta participated in Chhath celebrations in the city.
Celebrated on the sixth day after Diwali, the festival of Chhath, dedicated to the Sun God, will continue till Wednesday morning when devotees will worship the rising sun.
