BJP MLA terms Maharashtra govt anti-Hindu over 'Holika Dahan' restrictions

MUMBAI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ram Kadam on Sunday slammed Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray government over restrictions on the occasion of 'Holika Dahan' amid COVID-19 and asked why the state government is against Hindus.

Taking to Twitter, the BJP leader said: "According to Thackeray government, you cannot burn Holi outside your houses. If you are found doing so, the Police will take action against it. If the Holi does not burn outside the houses then should it be burnt inside? Have they (government) lost senses? People can understand the restrictions over playing Holi with colours as there will be a crowd."

The MLA also said: "But by maintaining social distancing and following the rules, if the Hindu brothers celebrate the festival of 'Holika Dahan' then why this government is objecting? At the same time, other religions are allowed for their festivals. Is Covid is a special relative of them or this government's?"

"Why Thackray government is against Hindus continuously," asked the BJP leader.

Maharashtra reported 35,726 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 26,73,461 in the state, as per the health bulletin on Saturday.

According to the state health bulletin, as many as 14,523 people recovered in the state from the disease in the said period. With this, the total number of recoveries in Maharashtra goes to 23,14,579 so far.

However, the active cases of COVID-19 stand at 3,03,475. The state reported 166 deaths yesterday due to COVID-19, taking the cumulative death toll to 54,073.