Members of the Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal Unions opposed the State government’s rules limiting public Ganesh festivals to three days.
At a meeting in Belagavi on Tuesday, the members strongly opposed the rules and demanded that the State government change the rules to allow the celebrations for 10 days.
Union president Vijay Jadhav told Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath that the rules are clearly anti-Hindu and cannot be respected or followed by any mandal. “Belagavi is among the towns in the country that celebrated the earliest public Ganesh festivals. Bal Gangadhar Tilak came to Belagavi in 1906 for a public Ganesh festival. This cannot be shortened,’’ he said.
Leader of the Shahapur union Netaji Jadhav said that the mandals have not organised public celebrations for two years, due to the COVID restrictions. “But now, the COVID-19 cases have fallen and there is no need to continue the restrictions,’’ he said. He asked why the government is allowing city corporation elections to be held while the festivals are facing restrictions.
He also demanded that the festivals should be allowed to be celebrated for 10 days.
Mr. Hiremath said that he will send a report of the meeting to the State government, with the demand of the mandals seeking relaxation of the restrictions.
