However, the celebration is set for a significant change this year, after a BJP leader took charge of the event, removed all the Muslims and declared that the organising committee will have only Hindus. For the past 57 years, people from both the Hindu and Muslim communities happily participated in organising the Janmashtami festival.
And we won’t allow other community to interfere in our customs,” said Singh. “No one can better respect our religion. Like Firhad Hakim had been the chief of the Tarakeswar puja committee. We don’t want to interfere in any other community rituals.
For the past 15 years, we have seen that in each committee for Hindu festivals, Muslims were at the top of the committee. Singh, who has now formed a committee consisting of only Hindus, said that 16 of the 18-member Janmashtami puja committee were Muslims earlier. Locals said the puja , held at the Bhukailash Road-Hussain Shah Road crossing in Mominpur, was started by Muslim social worker Muhammad Kashim under the banner of Kidderpore Samaj Kalyan Samity nearly 60 years ago.
It is time Hindus should observe their festivals according to their wish.
“The committee members have invited Rakesh Singh this year. This year the puja is being organised by Sanatanis only. We have a soft corner in our heart for Krishna ji too. But this year no one from the Muslim community has been invited to the festival. This is not good for the future society. “We don’t know who is organising Janmashtami this year. Kasim Chacha started the Janmashtami years back. He has died, but Hindus and Muslims have happily participated in the festival. “Muslims can happily take part in the puja. They can even participate in the donation or in ‘ chanda ‘. Once a Muslim man was in charge of organising the Janmashtami puja long back.
As the celebration gradually lost its prominence over the years, a group of Muslim youths helped revive it following the change of government in 2011, according to a report by news agency PTI.
A deviation is being intentionally created between Hindu and Muslims,” said Muhammad Alam, a Trinamool Congress functionary and former member of the puja organising committee. In past years, we have seen political leaders and businessmen from the Muslim committee among the invitees,” said Rakesh Kumar, another former member of the committee. But since he died, there were no Muslims in the committee,” Paswan said.
Earlier, members from both Hindu and Muslims communities were participating in organising the puja .
