As the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continues to protest, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee has decided to burn a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy alongside those of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad during Dussehra celebrations in Delhi, giving the event a political colour.
BJP’s Model Town MLA Ashok Goel Devaraha, who is also the president of the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee, claimed that the decision was taken to highlight the need to “eliminate filth from homes, neighbourhoods and society at large.”
“The festival of Vijayadashami is celebrated with great enthusiasm across the entire country. It symbolises the triumph of truth over falsehood, good over evil, and righteousness (dharma) over unrighteousness (adharma). For thousands of years, we have been burning the effigies of Ravana, Meghnada, and Kumbhakarna; this conveys the message that, in the end, truth always prevails, “ Devaraha told news agency ANI.
Talking about the decision to burn a cockroach effigy, he said the committee had followed the practice in previous years to highlight issues affecting the country.
“Keeping these principles in mind, we have also, in the past, burned effigies representing various afflictions plaguing our nation, such as Naxalism or terrorism. This year, our committee has decided to burn an effigy of a cockroach, a symbol of filth, at the Keshav Ramlila Committee grounds (NSP). Our goal is to eliminate filth from three areas: our homes, our immediate surroundings, and society at large,” he said.
He added that the effigy would be set alight at the committee's grounds in Pitampura.
The CJP is demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over massive irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls which have resulted in the disenfranchisement of crores of eligible voters from the rolls. The Election Commission and the BJP, however, deny allegations of voter manipulation.
Two of CJP’s leaders—Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka—are currently under arrest for entering Jantar Mantar grounds against the court’s orders.