New Delhi, Oct 30 (PTI) Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari wrote a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, charging him with indulging in politics over Chhath Puja, and urged him not to stop Purvanchalis from celebrating the festival on the banks of the Yamuna.

Tiwari's attack on the AAP supremo comes a day after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued an order stating that Chhath Puja celebrations will be allowed at the "designated sites" in the city except on the banks of the Yamuna.

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"I urge you with folded hands not to do injustice to Purvanchalis. Chhath is a festival of our faith. Indulging in politics over it is doing injustice to Purvanchalis," Tiwari wrote to Kejriwal.

No immediate reaction was available from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). However, party MLA Sanjeev Jha also wrote a letter to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, requesting him to allow the Chhath celebrations on the banks of the Yamuna.

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"I have requested the Lt Governor to allow Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna river because people who believe in Chhath Puja clean the ghats and the rivers before performing the rituals," he said in a statement.

Tiwari told Kejriwal in his letter that the whole Purvanchali community (people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) in Delhi is hurt as the members of the community are used to celebrate Chhath on the banks of the river.

Earlier, the DDMA had prohibited the Chhath celebrations at public places, including on the banks of the river, in view of COVID-19 in an order issued on September 30.

Tiwari had spearheaded the Delhi BJP's protests against the Chhath ban by taking out a "Rath Yatra" to put pressure on the AAP government.

"First you banned Chhath and supported it in the media and later, wrote to the Lt Governor for permission to Chhath Puja. Chhath may be a matter of politics for you but it is a matter of deep faith for Purvanchalis," the North East Delhi MP said.

"Please do not stop lakhs of Purvanchalis from offering prayers on the banks of the Yamuna," he urged the chief minister.

Chhath, celebrated after Diwali by Purvanchalis, involves the offering of "Arghya" by fasting women to the Sun god in knee-deep water.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)