Patna, Feb. 13: Good news for couples who want to celebrate Valentine’s Day their way. No worries about “moral police” chasing or reprimanding them in public places this year. There will be no Pramod Muthalik-like element, infamous for targeting women in Bangalore pubs, in the capital.
Right wing forces such as Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP), Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini have given up the task of correcting youths celebrating Valentine’s Day this year in Patna “morally”.
Gopal Sharma, the state organisational secretary of ABVP, said: “This year, our organisation will not protest against couples celebrating Valentine’s Day, as our opposition, on the contrary, has indirectly popularised the day.”
Till last year, the right wing forces had taken up the cudgels of attacking couples celebrating the day and the youths feared them. The moral police used to target couples celebrating the day at the zoo, restaurants and even on roads.
Hindu radical outfits like the Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hind Parishad (VHP) promise they will not disrupt Valentine’s Day celebrations though they will solicit support against it.
“We have no objections. Let Valentine’s Day be celebrated. We won’t hold any open protest or demonstration against it, but at the same time, youngsters should behave decently,” said Sharma.
Meanwhile, Shiv Kumar Mishra, the office secretary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said: “This year, we are preoccupied with other assignments as our organisation has undertaken the process of creating awareness on the Kashmir problem.”
Mishra added: “Valentine’s Day is passé, the country is facing other problems such as the Kashmir issue after the UPA government’s stand over it.” The RSS, as a part of creating awareness on the Kashmir issue, is conducting door-to-door campaigns, distributing pamphlets over the Kashmir issue. Moreover, ABVP, the students’ wing of BJP, which had always projected itself as moral police, will stage a demonstration over corruption this Valentine’s Day.
Sumant Patel, the ABVP chief of Patna University, said: “We will stage a demonstration at the university gate against the corruption and scams during the regime of the UPA government.”
Patel, however, said: “Our silence over Valentine’s Day this year should not be seen as our support for such practices. As part of our protest, we will ask youths to refrain from imitating and adopting western culture.” The moral brigade has been known to harass couples and disrupt celebrations on the ground that Valentine’s Day is a westernised concept and against Indian culture.
Last year, the moral brigade had protested against the celebration of Valentine’s Day and had even threatened with attacking couples celebrating the day, but the moral police suspended the programme after city police issued a statement that strict action would be taken against the moral police.
Sneha Sinha, a student of Magadh Mahila College welcomed the move of the right forces, claiming that restricting youths/people from celebrations is a direct attack on their freedom.
Nishant Nayan, a student of Patna College, got euphoric on learning that there will be no moral police Valentine’s Day this year. Nayan said: “As there will be no protest this year, I will celebrate the day with my girlfriend at a restaurant. Earlier, I had planned to go to the other side of the Ganga on boat, as the place is quiet and very few people go there.”
