NEW DELHI: The Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee will burn a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy alongside those of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad during Dussehra celebrations in the national capital this year, with the insect symbolising “filth and unhygienic” conditions.Ashok Goel Devaraha, president of the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee and Model Town MLA, said the decision aimed to highlight the need to eliminate filth from homes, neighbourhoods and society at large.“Well, 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.Explaining the decision to add another 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. “That is why, this year, the Keshav Ramlila Committee in Pitampura will be burning an effigy in the shape of a cockroach, representing filth,” Devaraha said.Describing the planned effigy, he said, “It will be a 30-foot-tall effigy, shaped like a cockroach; it’s going to be quite a striking sight!”When asked why the committee had chosen a cockroach to represent the issue, Devaraha told ANI that the aim was to draw attention to the need to rid the country and society of filth.“Look, filth, in any form, is something that our country, our society, and even our local neighbourhoods need to be rid of. That is the reason behind our decision,” he said.The decision comes amid ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in the national capital.The party staged protests against then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in June and July and is now demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke proposed a “Lehra Do Tiranga” rally on Friday. Security forces have been deployed in and around Connaught Place to maintain law and order ahead of a protest at Central Park on Friday.(With agency inputs)
