This year, a 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy will join the burning of Ravan, Kumbhkaran, and Meghnad during the Dussehra celebrations in the national capital.
Organizers aim to symbolize filth and unhygienic conditions, promoting a message of cleanliness.
The Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee, which hosts the Ramlila in Pitampura, stated that this initiative seeks to underscore the importance of eliminating dirt from homes and communities in line with the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns.
Committee president Ashok Goel Devaraha, also a BJP MLA from Model Town, explained that this decision reinforces the victory of good over evil and isn’t politically driven.
He stated that Vijayadashami represents the triumph of truth over falsehood and righteousness over unrighteousness. The committee has often burned effigies symbolizing national issues, including Naxalism and terrorism.
Devaraha emphasized, “This year, we will burn an effigy shaped like a cockroach, serving as a symbol of filth. Our goal is to eliminate dirt in our homes, neighborhoods, and society.” The committee plans to draw attention to the necessity of cleanliness.
The choice of a cockroach comes amid protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition groups in Delhi, who have campaigned against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar due to alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The CJP organized protests against Pradhan earlier this year, including a demonstration at Jantar Mantar and a march toward Parliament.
Despite this political backdrop, Devaraha insists that the cockroach effigy aims to convey a message about cleanliness rather than a political statement.
In May, Chief Justice Surya Kant compared individuals with fraudulent degrees to “cockroaches” during a Supreme Court hearing, sparking backlash and inspiring the satirical “Cockroach Janta Party” movement. He later clarified that his remarks were misquoted and misused to mislead the youth.
Content contributed by Priyanka Jaiswal, reported from New Delhi, India, sourced by times now
