Cong-NCP refuse to dampen Handi spirit

While Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) sponsored organisations have toned down Janmashtami celebrations in view of the swine flu cases, two prominent organisers Sachin Ahir of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Sanjay Nirupam of Congress have refused to follow the suit.

“We will have a big bash on Janmashtami as per our tradition,” Ahir said. “There is no point in having low profile Janmashtami fearing the spread of swine flu as people are anyway roaming at the railway stations. Our workers also insisted that we should not curb the celebrations,” he argued.

Ahir, who is a member of the co-ordination committee for the Janmashtami claimed that many organisations will celebrate the festival as per the tradition.

Nirupam, an MP from Mumbai North, said “he wanted to keep the tradition alive.” “It is a traditional festival of the Hindus and I do not want to break it. We will distribute 10,000 masks to the Govindas and the spectators so that there should not be any risk of spreading the virus of H1N1,” he said.

Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray criticised the stand taken by Ahir and Nirupam. “We also are Hindus and we do not shame to proclaim that we are Hindus. But safety of our children is more important than the festival. We will soon get to know who are backing the people who will celebrate Janmashtami,” he said.