The Indian Youth Congress protested against CEC Gyanesh Kumar by installing a Ravan effigy with his face in Delhi. The IYC demands his resignation or jail time. Separately, a Ramlila committee will burn a cockroach effigy to promote cleanliness.

As part of its continued protests over Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Monday installed a Ravan effigy bearing a cut-out of the CEC’s face in Delhi.

IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib said the organisation would continue its protests in different forms until Kumar resigned or was jailed. Speaking to ANI, Chib said, “Gyanesh Kumar, who is finishing off the democracy and Constitution of the country, cannot save himself. We will continue to protest in different forms. This will continue until he goes behind bars or resigns. He has indulged in ‘vote chori’. Until he is jailed, people of the country will continue to protest.”

Cockroach effigy to promote cleanliness

Meanwhile, the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee will burn a 30-foot effigy of a cockroach along with the traditional effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad this Dussehra, to spread the message of cleanliness.

Artisan Shahwez Khan, who is crafting the effigies, said his family has been making effigies since the time of his grandfather and great-grandfather. "We make effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghnad. This year, there will be a new addition, an effigy of a cockroach," Khan told ANI.

He said it takes about 3-4 days to complete a single cockroach effigy, while the traditional effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad take an entire month to complete.

Earlier, Ashok Goel Devaraha, president of the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee and Model Town MLA, said the decision was taken to highlight the "need to eliminate filth" from homes, neighbourhoods and society at large. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Devaraha said, "Well, the festival of Vijayadashami is celebrated with great enthusiasm across the entire country. It symbolises the triumph of truth over falsehood, good over evil, and righteousness (dharma) over unrighteousness (adharma). For thousands of years, we have been burning the effigies of Ravana, Meghnada, and Kumbhakarna; this conveys the message that, in the end, truth always prevails."

The decision comes amid the continuous protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in the national capital. The party had earlier staged protests against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in June and July and is now seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the allegation of irregularities in the electoral rolls revision process. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)