BJP doublespeak exposed again: Critics of ‘Saifai Mahotsava’ organises ‘Gorakhpur Mahotsava’ 

The double speak of BJP has been exposed again – this time the party “with a difference” was caught on the wrong foot when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath allowed the use of government money for organising Gorakhpur Mahotsava – the three day dance, drama and cultural fest where Bollywood starlets will perform.

The festival began on Thursday (January 11) and will culminate on Saturday with a Bollywood Night where top singers from the tinsel town would perform.

Incidentally, it is the same BJP which had raised hue and cry over the Samajwadi Party organising Saifai Mahotsava with all pomp and show. At that time they had called it a waste of the government money. But this time it is Gorakhpur – the native city of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath where the Mahotsava is being organised at the expense of Government exchequer.

This festival is being organised by Department of Tourism and Department of Culture. Principal Secretary of Tourism Avnish Awasthi said that besides these two government agencies, organisers have also roped in finances at the local level from private companies.

The exact budget of the Gorakhpur Mahotsava is still under wraps but sources in culture department says that three-day festival will cost not less than ₹100 crore. This is a conservative estimate because Bollywood singers like Shaan, Jatin, Neha Kakkar, Shankar Mahadevan, Ravi Kishan and UP’s own Malini Awasthi will set the stage afire on different days. Anup Jalota and Anuradha Paudwal will sing Bhajans at Gorakhnath temple on Friday.

Questions have been raised over organising such a big cultural festival in Gorakhpur at a time when reports of children dying of encephalitis in Gorakhpur have constantly been coming in . The money spent on this cultural feast could have been used in providing better facilities at BRD Hospital in Gorakhpur,

“Children are dying of dreaded disease. In August what happened in Gorakhpur brought shame to UP when children died because of lack of oxygen in neo-natal ward. This came to light that hospital did not have money to pay to Oxygen supplier and now we are having a cultural festival in Gorakhpur,” Rajendra Chaudhry, SP spokesperson, said.

Justifying the decision to organise this festival, Dileep Sharma, an office bearer of the organising committee, said this festival will be a mix of culture and heritage. It is not a masala cultural event where scantily clad heroines will perform but in this Mahotsava, culture of eastern UP will be showcased, he added.

Sharma said that folk dances and traditional music were practised in Gorakhpur and Alha, Barahmasi and Kajari were a few of the folk song types which took shape and were cultivated in this city. They are performed mainly during festive occasions and during winter nights.

“People will have glimpse of this culture in this festival,” he said.

“The city has a flourishing industry of handloom products. It is a traditional occupation, with skills being passed down the generations. Thus, the festival will provide a market for these artisans too,” he said.