AAP to burn effigies of Ravan made of garbage across Delhi today

New Delhi, Oct 04: The AAP will burn effigies of Ravan made of garbage at about 3,500 locations on Tuesday in protest against the BJP's 'failure' in the maintenance of cleanliness in the national capital, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party said.

Addressing a press conference, Rajinder Nagar MLA Durgesh Pathak said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and supporters will also hold protests after burning the effigies at the respective locations and demand that Delhi municipal polls be held "at the earliest".

When pointed out that the open burning of garbage is illegal and such a protest would add to air pollution, Pathak said that it would only be a ''symbolic'' action. All three erstwhile municipal corporations were ruled by the BJP till they were unified and renamed as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in May. There was no immediate reaction from the MCD or BJP to the AAP's charge.

"Delhi is too dirty. Wherever you go, you will see garbage. While three garbage hills are already there, the BJP is gearing up to create 16 more garbage hills. In Delhi, garbage has become a symbol of the BJP's inefficiency and failure," Pathak told news agency PTI.

"In a symbolic protest, the AAP will burn the effigy of Ravan made of garbage at about 3,500 locations in Delhi tomorrow," he said.

Effigies of demon king Ravan are burnt on Dussehra festival, which falls on October 5 this year, to mark the victory of good over evil. After the burning of effigies, the party leaders and supporters will also hold protests to demand Delhi civic body elections at the earliest, Pathak added.

Pathak, who is AAP's incharge for the polls, also appealed to the people to join the protest, promising that the party will make Delhi a clean city and also remove all three infamous garage hills located on the city borders if voted to power in the civic polls. The party's decision to hold a symbolic protest against the BJP came two days after the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Centre placed the erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) in the bottom 10 among 45 cities in the country.

In Swachh Survekshan 2022, the NDMC was ranked 37th, the EDMC 34th and the SDMC 28th. Elections to reconstitute a new civic body are yet to be announced by the BJP-led central government. With an eye on the MCD polls, the AAP launched a month-long campaign recently to corner the BJP on various civic issues, primarily cleanliness.

(with PTI inputs)