AAP welcomes withdrawal of prohibitory order in Delhi, says Hindus were ‘worried’ because…

Welcoming the withdrawal by Delhi Police of its prohibitory order for the Capital, the city's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday called it ‘a victory for Hindu devotees.’

The September 30 order, that was to be in effect till Sunday, had led to 'outrage' among Hindus ahead of the nine-day Navratri festival, according to Delhi minister and AAP member, Saurabh Bharadwaj.

Also Read: Delhi govt slams prohibitory order in Capital

“This is a moment of triumph for the people of Delhi, especially for the Hindu devotees, who were worried about how they would celebrate the festival,” Bharadwaj declared at a press conference.

Navratri celebrations began on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Bharadwaj also mocked Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, the constitutional head of the Union territory and a representative of the Union government.

Delhi Police reports to the Union home ministry.

“This is an embarrassing defeat for the Lieutenant Governor. The central government and its lawyers knew such ‘absurd’ orders cannot be implemented in a sovereign, free country,” Bharadwaj remarked, adding that the order was challenged in the high court by the Kalkaji temple priest.

Also Read: Ex-Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal demands police rescind prohibitory order

Also, the minister lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The BJP leads the government at the Centre and is the principal opposition party in Delhi.

“The BJP and RSS did not speak against the order despite claiming to be ‘defenders of Hinduism’,” the AAP leader said.

A police officer told PTI the order ceased on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. It was imposed as the general atmosphere in Delhi was ‘sensitive’ due to issues such as the Waqf Amendment Bill, the MCD standing committee election, and the pending DUSU poll results, he added.