NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Wednesday approved to hold annual Chhath Puja on designated ghats of the Yamuna this year and asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to make necessary arrangements for the devotees.
He also advised Kejriwal against “misleading and premature publicity” over the issue, which is without any formal approval from his office, said sources.Sources said a few days ago a tweet by Kejriwal had caused confusion with many people assuming that the puja could be performed anywhere along the Yamuna river.
They said the L-G has approved the file on Chhath Puja sent to him but also took note of Kejriwal’s tweet on October 21 even before the final approval was granted.According to sources, the L-G took note of the matter and wrote in the file, “The publicity on the issue was done even before the matter was placed for my consideration and before I could formulate an independent opinion on the subject.”
“The tweet gave a wrong impression that the festival can be celebrated on all Yamuna ghats, which is misleading and may create confusion as the National Green Tribunal has allowed puja only at designated sites,” he said.
“This is seriously problematic as it violates the basic principles of the scheme of governance. Needless to state, that premature publicity of the decision creates interest and thus influences the decision-making process independently in the matter which is extremely sensitive as it relates to religious beliefs and practices of a large section of people,” added Saxena.
The AAP, however, expressed objection over the allegations and said Saxena was “hungry for cheap publicity”.“The L-G is lowering the dignity of the chair he occupies by publicly abusing the Chief Minister. The CM is an elected representative who has been elected for the third consecutive time with historic margins. The L-G has no right to publicly reprimand him every day,” an official statement by the
party read.