As MP Govt Announces 10-day Lockdown in Bhopal, Congress MLA Says Festivals Will Be Celebrated at 'All Cost'

Hours after the Madhya Pradesh government announced a ten-day lockdown in Bhopal amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Congress MLA Arif Masood criticised the move and threatened of agitation if festivals were blocked by the administration with lockdown orders.

Eid-ul-Adha is being observed on July 31 while the festival of Rakshabandhan falls on August 3, the last day of the ten-day lockdown announced by state home minister Dr Narottam Mishra on Wednesday.

The state government's health bulletin put the number of fresh cases in Bhopal in the last 24 hours at 157, while the state reported over 750 cases on Wednesday. This is believed to have prompted the administration to announce a ten-day lockdown in the city.

Congress Bhopal Madhya MLA Arif Masood claimed that the decision was taken without taking public representatives into confidence.

Festivals like Eid-ul-Adha and Rakshabandhan can’t be blocked with lockdown orders, Masood said threatening administration with agitation in case the decision isn’t rolled back by 4pm on Thursday.

Locals could observe festivals with social distancing and other safety norms, he added.

“Qurbani (sacrifice ritual) will be undertaken on the day of the festival at all cost,” affirmed the Congress lawmaker urging everyone to oppose the move on social media.

BJP spokesperson Rakesh Sharma said that it was highly shameful that public representatives like Arif Masood are instigating people to break the law instead of co-operating with the authorities in this hour of crisis.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra, while responding to Masood's threat, said that every issue must not be politicised.

“Our top-most priority is to save the public from the virus and whatever we have decided is in the interest of the locals,” Dr Mishra said. No decision taken by the state government is based on festivals or religion, he added.

Urging everyone to mark the festival inside their homes, Dr Mishra said that anyone opposing the lockdown through agitation would be dealt with as per the law.

Bhopal is the worst-affected Covid-19 district in Madhya Pradesh with over 4,650 cases, including 144 deaths. The infection has spiralled since the Unlock guidelines came into effect in the past one-and-a-half month.

The administration has offered relaxations on Thursday and Friday before the lockdown measures take effect in the city. At present, the state capital is already under two-day weekly lockdown.