UP govt order banning Durga Puja events this year is 'unfair, absurd', says BJP leader

Kolkata: Saugata Roy, Trinamool Congress MP and party's national spokesperson has condemned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for not allowing community Durga Puja in his state.

"He said the Bengalis who have been staying in Varanasi, Prayagraj, Lucknow for generations will be deprived of observing the biggest festival of the Bengalis. In Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has allowed to organise Durga Puja after maintaining lockdown norms like wearing masks, using sanitisers and maintaining physical distancing at the pandals." He urged the state BJP to take up the issue and condemn Yogi Adityanath's action. They should put pressure on him to withdraw the order, he maintained.

Former BJP national president Amit Shah had criticised Banerjee in 2019 for not allowing Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja in Bengal.

The decision of the UP government has received criticism from senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta. He tweeted: "UP Govt's order that Durga Puja should be done at home is unfair & even absurd. Like the allowances for Ram Lila, Durga Puja should be permitted with harsh but sensible restrictions. Otherwise it is discriminatory. Bengali Hindus in UP appeal to @myogiadityanath to review order."

There are community Durga Pujas in Varanasi that are more than 100 years old. Community Pujas are hosted by the Bengali associations in Lucknow and Prayagraj. In Varanasi, Durga Puja is held at Bharat Sevasram Sangha. The Durga Puja in the Advaita Ashram of Ramakrishna Mission is more than a century old. Durga Puja is also held at the Lucknow centre of RKM. The festival is held in different monasteries in Varanasi. The householders join the Puja and they take the shape of the community Puja where prasad is served to those who attend it.