On Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi targeted the Congress party and suggested that they are against his participation in the Ganesh Puja at the CJI DY Chandrachud’s house and are doing so just to ‘divide and rule. Addressing a poll meeting in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the PM said that those who are condemning Ganesh Puja are just echoing what the British used to say about the festival because they were against it He said, “Ganesh Utsav is not merely a faith of festivity but it has indeed come to us from our freedom struggle, the power, and the vengeful elites seeking to polarize the society are afraid of Ganesh Puja. ”
Modi is making these remarks in reference to a political scandal that arose following the release of a video that captured him attending Ganesh Puja at CJI Chandrachud’s residence. The video showed Chandrachud and his wife, Kalpana Das, greeting the Prime Minister, and this raised many eyebrows as to whether such a meeting is appropriate for a Judge of such a high Court in the country. The leaders of the opposition party, especially from the Shiv Sena (UBT), spoke about what happened because its Prime Minister Modi’s visit may affect one case now pending before the CJI belonging to Maharashtra.
The Prime Minister also talked about an incident that took place in Karnataka recently where a Ganesh idol was seized momentarily by the policemen due to a demonstration against stone pelting that happened in a Ganesh immersion procession. ”These people put Lord Ganesh behind bars in Karnataka,” he said, pointing out what, in his view, was a rather disbelief.
Supreme Court Bar president Kapil Sibal shared his view with regard to the issue, stating that there is nothing wrong with the CJI inviting Modi for the festive occasion. However, its public display was not appropriate and caused much debate on the issue of judicial independence.
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