New Delhi: Facing questions of propriety and the dilution of the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary for his videographed visit to Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s residence to participate in a Ganesh puja and perform aarti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (September 17) defended his move and accused the Congress and its “ecosystem” of being furious just because he attended the puja.
Addressing a gathering in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, Modi said that those who were “power-hungry” and busy dividing society had problems with Ganesh puja, likening them to British colonial rulers.
“Ganesh utsav [festival] is not just a festival of faith for our country. It played a very important role in the freedom movement. In the hunger for power, when the British followed the policy of divide and rule and divided the country in the name of castes and spread hate in society, then Lokmanya Tilak organised Ganesh puja across the country to awaken people’s conscience,” he said.
“Rising above all differences, our faith teaches us to unite. Ganesh utsav has become an example of that. Even today, when Ganesh utsav is celebrated, everyone participates unitedly. Ganesh utsav used to hurt the British at that time as they followed the policy of divide and rule. Even today, the power-hungry people who are busy dividing and breaking society are having problems with Ganesh puja.”
On September 11, Modi visited Chandrachud’s residence and performed aarti along with the chief justice and his wife. Images of the visit were posted on the prime minister’s X handle and widely circulated on social media and multiple news platforms.
The visit sparked concerns from within the legal fraternity about whether the heads of the executive and the judiciary should be seen attending a private religious function together in the public gaze.
Opposition parties have questioned how justice would be delivered in cases where the government – the largest litigant before the courts – is a party, with the chief justice of India attending a private religious event with the prime minister and its being made public.
In his first comments on the event, Modi said that the Congress and its ecosystem were furious just because he attended the puja.
“You must have seen that the people of the Congress and its ecosystem are furious because I participated in Ganapati puja,” he said.
Modi then went on to accuse the Congress of putting a Ganesh idol behind bars in Karnataka.
“Moreover, in Karnataka, where they are in power, they have committed a bigger crime. They have put Ganesh’s idol behind bars. The whole country was troubled by those images. Such divisive thoughts and the mentality to spread hatred in the country is dangerous for our country. That is why such hateful forces must not be allowed to proceed,” said Modi.
On September 13, images of a Ganesh idol inside a police van went viral on social media after BJP leaders including South Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya tweeted the photos, accusing the Congress of insulting Hindu deities.
Two days later, the Bengaluru police in a statement on X said: “Hindu groups protested at Bengaluru’s Town Hall over the Nagamangala Ganesh procession incident, defying a HC order. Demonstrators detained. Ganapati idol was later immersed by authorities with rituals.”
