Devotees throng Yamuna defying DDMA ban, BJP MPs egg them on

New Delhi: Much like the firecracker ban was defied spectacularly on Diwali, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority's ban on performing Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna was defied by thousands of people in Delhi as they thronged to the banks of the frothing river — egged on by BJP MPs Parvesh Verma and Manoj Tiwari, both of whom violated the DDMA ban and also encouraged other residents to do the same.

While West Delhi's Verma and North East Delhi's Tiwari both faced some resistance from the city administration and the police, they ultimately ended up at the Yamuna ghats in ITO and Sonia Vihar with hundreds of their supporters.

In an apparent reference to the BJP, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who participated in the Chhath puja near Kidwai Nagar and Raja Bazar areas, said parties should not do politics on the festival.

"Jai Chhathi Maiya. All the struggle was for these scenes. Ensured entry of every mother and sister inside the gate, took care of their safety and honour and provided all the facilities," Verma tweeted with pictures large crowds at the ghat, openly flouting Covid rules such as wearing face-masks and maintaining social distancing.

Manoj Tiwari, his counterpart from northeast Delhi, performed the rituals at a ghat in Sonia Vihar with his supporters. The area SDM and civil defence volunteers tried to stop them but they pressed on. There was no immediate reaction from district officials on the alleged violation of DDMA order.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Ministers Satyendar Jain, Kailash Gahlot and Gopal Rai, along with MLA Raghav Chadha, visited several of the 800 designated ghats. "There were many hurdles in the celebration of Chhath, but we overcame all the obstacles with the blessings of Chhathi Maiyya," Kejriwal said.

Despite the ban, devotees started thronging the river bank to perform rituals earlier in the day. They complained that they were being stopped by the police and civil

defence personnel. However, the Delhi Police are yet to issue a statement regarding whether they have taken cognizance of the mass violation of DDMA rules.

When asked about security at Yamuna ghats, a senior police officer said, "Personnel have been deployed at the river banks so that no one is allowed to go to the ghats. In case, they do, they will be stopped and dispersed from the spot. We are ensuring adherence of DDMA order and taking all precautionary measures accordingly."

Meanwhile, a government official said 100 teams have been deployed in Southeast Delhi to direct the people arriving at various river ghats including at Kalindi Kunj to alternative places for performing Chhath Puja.

But even as the politics on Chhath gathered steam with the Delhi BJP alleging that the DDMA had banned the rituals along the Yamuna because the Delhi government wanted to cover up the river's frothing, the Aam Aadmi Party hit back claiming that SDMC officials had stopped people from celebrating Chhath at a local park in compliance with DDMA orders.

The AAP and the BJP have indulged in a war of words over Chhath for past many days. With Purvanchalis forming a large vote bank in Delhi, all major political players including BJP, AAP and Congress seek to join in the festivities.

The AAP leaders have been accusing the BJP-ruled MCD of not allowing construction of Chhath ghats in different parts of the city.