New Delhi: This Dussehra, the flames ignited a message far beyond myth. Organisers across India turned the traditional burning of Ravana’s effigy into a platform for modern outrage. Standing beside the traditional representations of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran were new and striking targets, including effigies of politicians, drug addiction, fake medicines and pressing societal evils meant to grab public attention.
In Delhi, the Youth Congress portrayed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as Ravana and burnt his effigy. The protest took place as Opposition parties accused the Election Commission of irregularities in voter rolls and criticised its functioning. Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended a Dussehra effigy-burning event at Daresi Ground in Ludhiana during his visit to Punjab. The effigy there represented ‘chitta’, a term commonly used in Punjab for certain illicit drugs, including heroin. Shah promised that a BJP government in the state would eliminate the drug problem if the party came to power.
At Pitampura in northwest Delhi, the annual Ramlila organised by the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee featured a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy along with those of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran.
Party workers also staged a street play titled ‘Vote Chori Ki Raasleela’ during the event, according to news agency PTI. The committee said that the cockroach represented filth. Committee President Sandeep Bindu said the effigy represented alleged manipulation of generic medicine prices and the illegal trade in counterfeit drugs. He said that medicine prices had become difficult for ordinary people to afford, while fake medicines posed a serious risk to patients.
