Will organise Poorvanchali fest if voted to power: BJP

Leaving no stone unturned to woo 'Poorvanchali' voters ahead of Assembly polls, Delhi BJP today announced that if voted to power, it will organise a 'Poorvanchal Mahotsav' to coincide with 'Chhath Puja' here.
BJP chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan said that to protect the culture of Poorvanchalis and to honour them, BJP will start a five-day long 'Poorvanchal Mahotsav' during Chhath Puja if it ousts the ruling Congress from power.
"Such a festival would be organised for the first time in Delhi, which would start with 'Bhaiya Dooj' and continue on the days of 'Nahaye-Khaye', 'Kharna', evening obeisance, morning obeisance and Parna (ending of fast)," Harsh Vardhan said in a statement.

The festival would showcase the culture of Poorvanchal in Delhi. Apart from that, cultural programmes like 'Kavi Sammelan', 'Natak' and 'Mushaiyras' by Poorvanchali artistes, too, would be organised.
He also reiterated that BJP will declare a public holiday for Chhath Puja if voted to power after the December 4 Assembly elections.
Poorvanchalis are people hailing from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with their numbers in Delhi said to be more than 50 lakh.

The party has set up camps at all the 72 ghats in Delhi to provide volunteer services for security, sanitation, lost and found persons, etc.
"Thousands of BJP workers would be present to help the devotees. Special arrangements for transport would also be made for the Puja," he added.

Meanwhile, Harsh Vardhan urged the President of India to direct the Home Ministry to arrest Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and others for their alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and "send them to jail, so they couldn't influence the witnesses".
He also demanded that the President direct the Centre to constitute a special CBI team for the probe and set up a special court for day-to-day hearings in the anti-Sikh riots cases.
Vardhan alleged that under pressure from the Centre, CBI had submitted closure reports twice in the court against Tytler and others when, "eyewitnesses of the killing of three Sikhs at Gurdwara Pulbangas in 1984 were present and they not only identified Jagdish Tytler but were also ready to depose in the case".

He said it has been clearly mentioned in a book by former CBI Joint Director SS Narayan that Tytler and Kumar were directly involved in the riots.