Modi skips Dussehra celebrations in Capital

“The tradition of Prime Minister attending Dussehra celebrations was started by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who used to witness the burning of the effigies of Ravana along with his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhkaran at Ramlila Ground every year without fail. The tradition was carried forward by all Congress Prime Ministers,” said JP Agarwal, former MP and head of the Ramlila committee.

He said, “The non-Congress PMs, however, used to attend Dussehra celebrations organised by other Ramlila committees in Walled City.” Last year, Agarwal had courted a controversy by not inviting the then sitting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ramlila Ground. However, Agarwal had to quit the committee a few months back over the issue.

In 2014, Modi attended Dussehra celebrations at Dharmik Lila Committee near Lal Quila, where former Prime Minister AB Vajpayee used to attend the function. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Andhra Pradesh to lay the foundation stone for Amaravati.

On Thursday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the celebrations at Ramlila Ground, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi were present at Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Samiti, while Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attended the programme at DDA ground IP Extension. 

“In 1983, both Prime Minister and President attended Dussehra celebrations at Ramlila Ground. However, following the instructions of security agencies that both the dignitaries should not attend public functions together due to security reason, both the Prime Minister and President used to attend separate functions in the city,” said Ashok Khanna, an old timer of Walled City, who witnessed several Ramlila celebrations.