A New Delhi Ramlila committee has decided to burn a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside traditional figures of Ravana, Meghnada, and Kumbhakarna to promote cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat campaign. While organisers maintain the initiative symbolises the defeat of filth and follows past traditions of addressing social evils, it has drawn criticism on social media for potentially politicising a religious festival and raising environmental concerns.

A New Delhi Ramlila committee has decided to burn a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside traditional figures of Ravana, Meghnada, and Kumbhakarna to promote cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat campaign. While organisers maintain the initiative symbolises the defeat of filth and follows past traditions of addressing social evils, it has drawn criticism on social media for potentially politicising a religious festival and raising environmental concerns.

A New Delhi Ramlila committee has decided to burn a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside traditional figures of Ravana, Meghnada, and Kumbhakarna to promote cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat campaign. While organisers maintain the initiative symbolises the defeat of filth and follows past traditions of addressing social evils, it has drawn criticism on social media for potentially politicising a religious festival and raising environmental concerns.

A 30-foot effigy of a cockroach is to be burnt alongside those of Ravana, Meghnada, and Kumbhakarna at a Ramlila event in New Delhi. According to the Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee, the organisers, the initiative’s objective is to promote cleanliness.

The development comes amid protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in the capital.

Committee president and BJP MLA Ashok Goel told PTI that the decision is not politically motivated and is intended to convey the message of the victory of good over evil while highlighting the importance of cleanliness. The cockroach symbolises filth, and the initiative aims to spread awareness about cleanliness under the 'Swachh Bharat' and 'Swachh Delhi' campaigns, he reportedly told the news agency. The cockroach will be depicted among the asuras in Ravana's army, he added.

Several social media users have questioned the decision, arguing that bringing contemporary political developments into a religious celebration could hurt sentiments and divert attention from the festival's traditional significance.

"Dussehra symbolises the victory of good over evil. Why turn this beautiful tradition into a platform for contemporary political rivalries?" a user wrote, urging people to ensure that festivals unite communities rather than deepen political divisions.

Another user said equating Ravana with a cockroach would not affect the CJP but could hurt Hindu sentiments. Others questioned the religious basis of the initiative and alleged that the festival was being used to advance a political message.

"As a Hindu, this is very disrespectful to the religion and everything that I tend to follow in my life. They are politicising Hinduism and mixing things for their own benefit," a user said.

Another social media user questioned the decision in the context of Delhi's environmental concerns, asking why a large effigy needed to be burnt when the city was already grappling with air pollution.

Goel, however, reportedly told PTI that the committee had used its annual effigy-burning tradition to highlight different social evils in previous years. Last year, the committee burnt an effigy symbolising Naxalism, while the year before, one of the effigies represented terrorism, he said.

He maintained that this year's cockroach effigy was intended to highlight filth and uncleanliness and was not linked to the CJP or any political development.

"The prices are being inflated to such an extent that an ordinary person cannot afford them. On top of that, there is a risk of someone buying a medicine that is not even effective," he said.

He added that the fourth effigy is selected through a voting process involving committee members and other people during the first eight days of the Ramlila and is burnt on the final day.

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