Mela: Religious Groups Oppose Govt’s Mela Authority Bill | Jaipur News

Jaipur: Different religious groups have flagged concern over the newly passed Rajasthan Mela Authority Bill 2023, calling it an interference in the cultural and traditional practices related to the fairs. In a memorandum to the CM, these bodies stated that the provision of a district mela committee to oversee fairs would lead to corruption and unrest among the religious sites. In this regard, a delegation of religious leaders including Mahant Kailesh Sharma, a chief priest at Moti Doongri Temple met with CM Ashok Gehlot demanding the bill be revoked. Gehlot assured them sentiments of all faiths will be protected.

Earlier in the day, Sharma told TOI Jaipur, argued that the composition of the District Mela Committee and the extension of powers to the Mela Magistrate would hurt the sanctity of the religious fairs.
He said, “The extended powers to the committee and magistrate to guide the Mela organizers on all aspects of the fair, including Darshan, are unjust. It will lead to their interference in religious matters. We feel that the administration role should be restricted to providing facilities like water, electricity, security, and traffic management.” He argued that if the government doesn’t recall the bill, they will use all the democratic means to register their protest until the bill is revoked.

Syed Sarwar Chishty, secretary of Anjuman Moinia Fakhria Chishtiya (a body of Khadims) of Ajmer Dargah, opposed the bill. He said, “I don’t understand how the organizer is responsible for any loss of life or damage to property. In the shine of Dargah Ajmer during the annual Urs, lakhs of people visit the Dargah. How come the organizer is responsible for their actions or any untoward incident?”