Mumbai: An advocate residing in suburban Mumbai has moved the Bombay High Court seeking restraint on the Chhath Puja, proposed to be conducted at Shivaji Park later in the year.
According to the PIL, Chhath Puja celebrations, backed by Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam, are 'a political move keeping in mind the vote bank of UPites and Biharis' staying in Mumbai and Maharashtra.
The PIL, filed by Andheri resident Pravin Singhal, says that the puja is being done using the pretext of the threat given by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.
The PIL was mentioned before Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice VM Kanade on Monday and will be heard by the court next week.
Singhal states in the PIL that Chhath was a festival typical of Bihar, and stands for truth, non-violence, forgiveness and compassion.
However, the proposed puja at Shivaji Park would 'defeat the very objective of Chhath Puja, and is likely to spread seeds of animosity and hatred between Marathi speaking people of Maharashtra and the migrants from UP and Bihar'.
The PIL also seeks the court to book Lalu, Deshmukh, Nirupam and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi under Section 153 A (promoting enmity between two groups) of the Indian Penal Code.
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