the goan I network
ponda
The office-bearers of Vithoba Devasthan at Ponda have requested the election commission to relax code of conduct norms for religious programmes and allow traditional rituals to take place.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, the president of Vithoba Devasthan Gaurish Kolvekar lamented that their traditional Shigmotsav and Veerbhadra programmes were affected due to the election code of conduct.
Sandeep Verenkar, Prashant Verenkar and Uday Tilve were also present at the press conference.
Kolvekar said from April 1 to 4 their programs were obstructed by election observers, saying no programs can take place after 10 pm. “These observers had different versions about the code of conduct. They were not sure whether traditional functions can take place or not. Our religious functions are being organised since centuries and hence they should not have had obstructed our programme,” Kolvekar said.
According to Kolvekar, if any political person had given any speeches from their stage then they had right to put off the program. “How can they tell us to wrap up the religious programme?’’ Kolvekar questioned. He also said that at other places the religious programmes are taking place till midnight, then how only they were targeted. “This means election observers are not clear on the code of conduct rules and hence they are targeting us unnecessarily,” he said. “Our request to the election commission is that it should come clear on the code of conduct. Religious programmes like ‘Jaagor’ are yet to take place in the State. These should not be obstructed by citing the code of conduct,” Kolvekar said.
He said that they had brought the issue to the notice of the EC, but didn’t get any relaxation in the timings. “We practice for at least three months to present the dramas. Election observers should understand it and should have allowed us to present the dramas,” he said.
