BJP govt overshadowing Goa carnival bash with Ramdev yoga meet: Congress

The Congress in Goa has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government of using a public yoga demonstration by Baba Ramdev to overshadow the traditional carnival celebrations in the coastal state, scheduled for the weekend.

In a statement on Friday, state Congress president Amit Patkar and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Yuri Alemao, also slammed the state government's move to direct school and higher education teachers and students to attend a 'special yoga session' anchored by Ramdev on February 20 at the popular Miramar beach in Panaji.

"It appears that the visit of Baba Ramdev and the timing of his yoga session and the denial of permissions to traditional carnival celebrations is part of a larger conspiracy to eclipse the carnival in Goa. The circular of education department to help gather a crowd at a private event must be withdrawn immediately," Alemao said.

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Carnival processions are symbolic of Goa's colonial Portuguese legacy and are held here every year before the holy season of Lent, which is marked by fasting and an air of solemnity.

The festival, which is scheduled to be held over the weekend in Goa involves a public celebration in form of long continuous parades of gaily-coloured floats, with masked dancers, is led by King Momo or king of the carnival, who is a locally chosen portly dignitary, who is given a key to the city.

State Congress president Amit Patkar also said that heaping pressure on managements of educational institutions to ensure crowds at Ramdev's event was not right.

"Fearing a poor response to the yoga session of a private organisation patronised by this event manager government, they have made it compulsory for teachers, NCC, NSS and Scouts and Guide volunteers to attend the yoga session of Baba Ramdev. This circular should be revoked immediately," Patkar said.

The education department circular issued earlier this week by the state's education Director Shailesh Sinai Zingde stated, "Heads of government/government aided/unaided primary, secondary, higher secondary and special schools are hereby instructed to depute all of their teachers and NSS, NCC, Scouts and Guide volunteers to attend the grand yog shibir on February 20, 2023, at Miramar beach".