Preparations underway at the Ram temple for the pran pratishtha ceremony, in Ayodhya, on Sunday. (PTI)
Ayodhya Ram Temple pran pratishtha on Jan 22 (Monday): News18 gives a list of states/union terrirtories that have or have not announced a public holiday/half-day leave for the event
While as many as 16 states and Union Territories have declared either a holiday or half-day leave on January 22 on account of the Pran Pratishtha at Ram Temple in Ayodhya, one state and one union territory stands out — Odisha and Delhi. Both are ruled by Opposition parties — the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), respectively.
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In fact, AAP is the only Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc member party (apart from Congress’s aberration in Himachal Pradesh in spite of its boycott of the Ayodhya event) that has announced a half-day leave on January 22 in Delhi, a decision quickly okayed by the Lieutenant Governor who otherwise has a track record of holding decisions.
While AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal has explicitly expressed interest in visiting the Ram Mandir on January 22 should he get an invite, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, too, has been flirting with Hindutva in his state, where the Lord Jagannath temple corridor in Puri is almost complete.
This is in stark contrast to the Congress and other opposition parties boycotting the January 22 event, let alone allowing a holiday on the day in the states where they are in power. In a letter to CM Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Sukanta Majumdar demanded a holiday, but it did not yield any results. She has instead decided to observe the day as ‘all faith day’.
Going against the party’s template and probably owing to the large Hindu electorate in the state, Himachal Pradesh on Sunday announced that all its government offices will remain shut on Monday. The now out-of-power Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, whose father is remembered for ordering firing on kar sewaks during the Babri demolition, has chosen his words carefully. He said he would visit the temple with his family soon after it is thrown open to the public.
There was no surprise in either Left-ruled Kerala or AIADMK-ruled Tamil Nadu — none have ordered any kind of closure. In fact, the CPIM came out with a statement condemning the Central government’s decision to grant a half-day leave. In Tamil Nadu, earlier AIADMK scion Udaynidhi Stalin’s ‘Sanatana Dharma’ comment created a massive row that even put INDIA bloc allies in embarrassment. So a closure of government offices in Ram Mandir inauguration wasn’t even expected.
The BJP has predictably gone ahead with announcing Monday as either a holiday or half-day leave in states and Union territories where it rules. It includes Uttar Pradesh, where all the action is, as well as the three states it swept to power last December — Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Interestingly, the only two North-Eastern states that figure on the list are BJP-ruled Tripura and Assam. While the BJP has its Chief Minister in Manipur, the strife-torn state has stayed away from announcing any such decisions. Also, the BJP is in the ruling alliance in Meghalaya and Nagaland, where there have not been any such announcement, owing to the largely Christian majority.
A list of states that have announced a public holiday/half-day leave on January 22, Monday:
- Uttar Pradesh: This is the state where the who’s who will huddle on January 22. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed closure of educational institutions and liquor shops across the state on Monday. However, there has been no announcement of holidays for government employees.
- Maharashtra: The government of Maharashtra, the financial powerhouse of India, has announced a public holiday on Monday, January 22. Even the stock exchange announced a trading holiday on Monday, but a full working day on Saturday, January 20.
- Haryana: The Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government has issued a notice announcing that all government offices, including boards, schools, colleges, corporations and universities, shall remain closed on Monday until 2.30 pm. The notice issued on Thursday read, “It is hereby notified that half day (till 2:30 PM) of January 24, 2024 (Monday) shall be observed as a Public Holiday for all departments, boards, and Corporations, schools, colleges, universities, etc. of the Haryana Government to enable its employees to participate in the celebration of Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya.”
- Madhya Pradesh: The Madhya Pradesh government announced a holiday for schools on Monday and a dry day as well, which prohibits the sale of liquor. It has even prohibited the sale of “bhang” on Monday. Government offices in the state will remain shut, too, till 2.30 pm.
- Chhattisgarh: The BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh government has announced that all government offices will remain closed till 2.30 pm. It was the first state to declare January 22 a ‘dry day’.
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- Rajasthan: The Bhajan Lal Sharma government in Rajasthan has announced a half-day holiday in the state.
- Gujarat: In the home state of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, government offices will remain shut till 2.30 pm.
- Odisha: Apart from the belated decision by Himachal, it is the only opposition-ruled state in India that has taken the saffron plunge. The Eastern coastal state Government has announced that offices in the state will remain closed for half-a-day.
- Uttarakhand: The home of char dham isn’t behind. All educational institutions in Uttarakhand will remain closed on Monday, the Pushkar Dhami administration has announced. Government offices in the state will also be shut till 2.30 pm.
- Goa: The Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government has declared a holiday for schools and government employees. Even casinos have voluntarily decided to shut operations between 8 am and 4 pm.
- Tripura: One of the two N-E states that has followed the nationwide trend. All government offices in Tripura will remain closed till 2.30 pm.
- Assam: The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam, too, has announced a half-day. Meanwhile, all educational institutions and state government offices will remain closed till 2.30 pm.
- Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh
A list of Union Territories that have announced a public holiday/half-day leave on January 22, Monday:
- Delhi: The only opposition-ruled UT in India to announce such a move. Government offices in the national capital will remain closed till 2.30 pm.
- Chandigarh: The union territory has declared a holiday for all offices.
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- Puducherry: The union territory has announced a public holiday.
A list of states that have granted no concession on January 22:
- CPIM-ruled Kerala
- AIADMK-ruled Tamil Nadu
- YSRCP-ruled Andhra Pradesh
- Congress-ruled Telangana
- Congress-ruled Karnataka
- Congress-JMM-RJD-ruled Jharkhand
- RJD-JDU-ruled Bihar
- AAP-ruled Punjab
- Centre-administered Jammu and Kashmir
- Centre-administered Ladakh
- TMC-ruled West Bengal
- The entire North-East except Tripura and Assam
