‘Shobha Yatra’ being taken out in north-west Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Hanuman Jayanti celebrations in the Capital on Tuesday took on political colours, with the three major parties — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), BJP, and Congress — using the occasion to campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
While senior AAP leader and Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj led a religious procession in his constituency, Congress’s Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha nominee J.P. Agarwal visited several Hanuman temples in old Delhi. The BJP organised booth-level Hanuman Chalisa recitals across the city.
The procession led by Mr. Bharadwaj included a man dressed as Lord Hanuman on a chariot carrying replicas of insulin vials. “Whenever bhakts [devotees] face adversity, Lord Hanuman manifests to alleviate their troubles. Today, Lord Hanuman came to [Delhi CM] Kejriwal’s rescue as he was finally administered insulin after demanding it for 23 days,” the senior AAP leader said. The party also organised ‘bhandara’ at various locations and distributed ‘prasad’ to worshippers.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Delhi in-charge Om Prakash Dhankar and Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva participated in a Hanuman Chalisa recital at Hanuman temple in Connaught Place. “Delhi has been suffering from corruption by the Delhi government for the past few years, while development in the city has come to a standstill. We organised today’s functions with the wish of development and prosperity of Delhi,” Mr. Sachdeva said.
Security tightened
Police presence was bolstered and paramilitary personnel were deployed in north-west Delhi’s Jahangirpuri to ensure law and order during the ‘Shobha Yatra’, which was taken out in the area during the day. No untoward incident was reported in the area.
Jahangirpuri had witnessed communal riots two years ago after a ‘Shobha Yatra’ to celebrate Hanuman Jayanti was conducted in the area. Forty people were arrested and two juveniles apprehended following the April 16, 2022 violence in which eight policemen and one civilian sustained injuries.
Meanwhile, an eatery owner was briefly detained following a complaint that he had sold biryani on disposable plates that were printed with images of Lord Ram. An officer said no case had been registered yet and that the matter was being further investigated.