Unhappy With Bakrid Guidelines, Congress Leader Writes to Maharashtra CM Thackeray: Reports

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leader Naseem Khan urged the Chief Minister to rethink the guidelines and call for an urgent meeting as, he said, there cannot be a 'symbolic' celebration of Bakrid.

New Delhi: Unhappy with the Maharashtra government’s guidelines for the upcoming Bakri Eid or Bakrid festival, a leader of the state Congress has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding that the guidelines be reviewed, NDTV has reported.

Notably, the Congress governs Maharashtra in an alliance with the Chief Minister’s Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

In the letter to CM Thackeray, Congress leader Naseem Khan said that there cannot be a ‘symbolic’ celebration of the festival, adding that buying goats online was not possible. Urging the Chief Minister to rethink and call for an urgent meeting, he further said that the move ‘has hurt our sentiments’.

Issuing the guidelines last Friday, the Maharashtra government had said, “Prayers should not be offered in mosques or Eidgahs or public places, but should be done at home only. Currently, all operating livestock markets will remain closed. If citizens want to buy animals, they should buy it online or by phone”.

Further, the statement had said that there would be no relaxation in restrictions for the festival in containment zones and that people should not congregate in public places on the day.

Bakrid will be celebrated in India on August 1, the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid has said. Across the world, however, it will be celebrated on July 31, according to the date announced by Saudi Arabia.