New Delhi: A 30-foot-tall ‘cockroach’ effigy will go up in flames alongside those of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad at a Ramlila in the national capital this year.
The Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee, which organises the event in Pitampura, said the insect represents ‘filth and dirt’ and that the initiative is part of the ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Swachh Delhi’ campaigns.
Ashok Goel, the committee president and a BJP MLA, told PTI that the decision was not politically motivated.
Burning the cockroach effigy is meant to reinforce the message of the victory of good over evil and cleanliness, he said.
The ‘cockroach’ will also feature among the ‘asuras’ in Ravan’s army, Goel said.
The decision comes against the backdrop of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protests in the national capital, first against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and now demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
In June and July, the group staged a protest at Jantar Mantar for over a month and marched to Parliament on July 20. Pradhan subsequently resigned as minister.
The CJP has returned to the streets, joining opposition parties and student organisations in demonstrations demanding the CEC’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The protests in Delhi led to the detention of several activists, students and journalists.
