NEW DELHI: A 30-foot effigy of a cockroach went up in flames at a Dussehra event in Pitampura on Tuesday, alongside the effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad. The man who lit it was Delhi's art, culture and language minister, Kapil Mishra. By evening, the BJP and AAP were trading charges.
Delhi AAP unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj called it 'cheap politics targeting Gen Z'. He said the BJP leader should not use the Hindu religion for political gains, and that the party could not demean thousand-year-old Sanatan traditions by turning them into a joke. 'The RSS cannot remain silent on this blasphemy,' he said.
Bharadwaj also filed a complaint seeking an FIR against Mishra and BJP MLA Ashok Goel Devraha, who was present at the event, alleging they hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by altering Sanatan traditions for political gain and promoting enmity between communities.
The Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee had invited Mishra to the celebrations. He said Dussehra symbolised the victory of truth over falsehood, and that no matter how united anti-national forces became, their defeat in India was inevitable.
The row broke out between the ruling BJP in the Capital and the AAP. Bharadwaj argued that a BJP leader should not use religion for political gain, while Mishra rested his case on the symbolism of Dussehra.