The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) launched a fiery attack on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government over its controversial decision to scrap school holidays on prominent Hindu festivals and increase the same for Muslim festivals.
Launching a bitter attack on the JDU-RJD-led government, VHP leader and national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said that it seems like the government of Bihar is fulfilling the ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ dream of organisations like Popular Front of India (PFI).
बिहार सरकार का एक और हिंदू द्रोही एजेंडा…
2024 के कलेंडर से शिवरात्रि, रामनवमी, श्रावणी सोमवार, 30 तिउतिया, जन्माष्टमी, अनंत चतुर्दशी, भैया दूज, गोवर्धन पूजा और गुरु नानक जयंती के साथ कार्तिक पूर्णिमा जैसे मुख्य और पवित्र भारतीय अवकाशों को समाप्त कर ईद, बकरीद और मोहर्रम की…— विनोद बंसल Vinod Bansal বিনোদ বনসল వినోద్ బన్సాల్ (@vinod_bansal) November 28, 2023
Another agenda of the government, which has been continuously bowing down to the PFI and Islamic Jihadi has surfaced again. The Bihar government, while issuing the school holiday calendar, has scrapped the holidays on sacred festivals like Shivratri, Ramnavami, Karthik Poornima, Bhaidooj, Anant Chaturdashi, Gurunanak Jayanti, Govardhan Pooja, Janmashtami. At the same time they have increased the holidays on Muharram, Eid, Bakrid, said Bansal in a video message on Tuesday.
It seems that the Bihar government is fulfilling the dreams of the parties part of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance who are willing to eradicate Sanatan Dharma. The Bihar government will have to think about that otherwise the people of Bihar, the Hindu Community of Bihar will not spare them, added the VHP leader.
Further while slamming the coalition government, Bansal said that the way this government is exploiting the Hindu community, the way bomb explosions have been termed as firecrackers, the way Hindus are being targeted and falsely implicated is very serious. The government needs to immediately review its decision and provide the holidays which were earlier given to the Hindu Community.
What is the logic to increase the holidays on Muharram, Eid and Bakrid. On one hand the holidays on Deepawali on Chhath have been reduced to 4 from eight while holidays on Eid, Bakrid and Muharram have been increased by 2 and one day respectively. Are these festivals that long? The government has commenced a very bad tradition, concluded Mr Bansal.
Bihar government notification
Earlier in a significant development, the Nitish Kumar led Mahagathbandhan government of Bihar released a notification slashing the school holidays on many prominent Hindus festivals in the school holiday calendar year of 2024.
According to the notification issued by the Bihar Education department the holidays given on Hindu festivals such as Mahashivratri, Raksha Bandhan and Jamnashtami have been abolished by the government while leaves provided on Teej, Jitiya, Govardhan Pooja, Gurunanak Jayanti, Karthik Poornima, and Anant Chaturdashi have also been scrapped.
In the notification issued by the government, the holidays given on Holi, Durga Puja, Deepawali and Chhath Puja have also been commuted while at the same time the mahagathbandhan government
has increased the holidays given on Muslim festivals such as Muharram, Bakrid and Id.
According to the notification, the total number of holidays given in the upcoming calendar year has been reduced to 60 as compared to 64 holidays. However, astonishingly, the holidays on Muslim festivals have increased in the latest release.
In the press release by the education department, as many as 11 holidays have been included for festivals and significant occasions of the Muslim community, including Eid-ul -Fitr (3), Eid-ul-Zoha (3), Muharram (2), Chehallum (1), Prophet Mohammad birthday (1) and Shab-e-barat (1). While as many as 9 holidays have been included for Hindus festivals including Durga Pooja (3), Chhath Puja (3), Holi (2) and Deepawali (1).
Opposition-slammed move
It is to be noted that many prominent leaders of the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a vicious attack on the Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar and termed the government’s decision as a Tuglaqi Farman. Taking to twitter the union minister of rural development Giriraj Singh wrote ” Islamic Republic of Bihar. Nitish and Lalu government increased holidays on Muslim festivals, Holidays on Hindu festivals scrapped.
इस्लामिक रिपब्लिक ऑफ़ बिहार।
नीतीश और लालू सरकार ने स्कूलों में मुस्लिम पर्व की छुट्टी बढ़ाई, हिंदु त्योहारों में छुट्टी की ख़त्म। pic.twitter.com/ngjc4qVbuS
— Giriraj Singh (@girirajsinghbjp) November 27, 2023
Another senior BJP leader, Amit Malviya, in a post on X, while supporting Giriraj’s post wrote “The Islamic Republic of Bihar welcomes you.
इस्लामिक रिपब्लिक ऑफ बिहार में आपका स्वागत है… https://t.co/5rG1ZdDxxx
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 28, 2023
Meanwhile, BJP leader and former home minister of Bihar, Sushil Modi while speaking to the media, also slammed the Bihar government and termed the move as an example of anti-Hindu mindset.
“The government has taken an anti-Hindu decision, which hurts the sentiments of Hindus. Holidays on prominent Hindu festivals have been abolished, while holidays given on Deepawali, Chhath and Durga Puja have also been scrapped. however at the same time holidays on Muslim festivals have been increased. Leaves on Ram Navami, Janmashtami have been cancelled. Nitish ji we will never accept this,” said Sushil Modi.
बीजेपी सांसद सुशील मोदी ने कहा-"हिन्दू के त्यौहारों की छुट्टियों को रद्द करना हिन्दू विरोधी मानसिकता का परिचायक" I#Bihar | #NitishKumar | @SushilModi pic.twitter.com/RfEOxcOZlM
— Deshhit News (@deshhit_news) November 28, 2023
“There are lakhs of Women in Bihar who absorb fasts on Teej and Jitiya whose leaves have also been abolished. It’s a testimony of anti-Hindu mindset. Not only that, it’s also been declared that a weakly off will be given on Friday in Muslim dominated areas. It’s a secular state, will there be leave on some other day on Christian schools and Hindus schools. There shall be only one weekly leave in the whole state. The BJP will never accept such anti-Hindu ‘Tughlaqi Farman’ and will oppose it tooth and nail” , quoted Sushil Modi.
