Lord Ganesh is back at the centre of politics in Tamil Nadu and other southern states as the BJP and other right-wing outfits have prompted a furore in these states, particularly in Tamil Nadu where the parties have been staging protests against the DMK government for not permitting the installation of idols of Lord Ganesh and mass processions in wake of Ganesh Chaturthi, which will be celebrated on September 10.

For the past few days, the BJP cadres and supporters of Hindu Munnani in Tamil Nadu have been agitating against the state government for not permitting the typical Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. The government has said that permission won't be granted for such mass processions in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and it has asked the people to celebrate the festival inside their residences. However, the leaders of these outfits had outraged the government decision by claiming that the schools, theatres, and parks have been reopened and asked whether Covid-19 won't spread in these areas. 

The leaders went on to stir a religious divide in the state by claiming that the ruling DMK has been acting against the Hindu festival in the albeit of providing permissions to the festivals of other religions. Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai has questioned why the government has banned Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations while allowing TASMAC liquor shops to function. The BJP had also castigated the DMK regime in the assembly and demanded the government to permit the celebrations of installing the idols of Lord Ganesh, mass processions and immersing the idols in the water bodies. 

Responding to the protests, Tamil Nadu Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments PK Sekar Babu has said that the state government has taken the decision of banning the celebration on the basis of a circular issued by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla in which he directed the states to take suitable measures for controlling the crowd and to avoid the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Monday, Hindu Munnani and other right-wing groups had held a protest in Chennai against the DMK government on banning the celebrations. 

During the protest, Hindu Munnani has announced that it would install one lakh idols at the residences and celebrate the festival. The outfit has also asked the people to pray to God that the Tamil Nadu government will allow the celebrations. Hindu Munnani had further threatened that they would carry on the celebrations on September 10 against the ban. The Tamil Nadu Chief of Hindu Munnani has said that the DMK government has been showing its true colours and is against the interests of Hindus. Amid such protests, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has put the ball on the courts of the Modi-led Union government. 

Speaking at the assembly on Tuesday - September 7, MK Stalin said that the state government has banned the celebrations at the public places in the interest of the people as the neighbouring state Kerala has been reporting more cases after permitting the Onam and Eid festivals. By bringing Modi's regime into the picture, the Chief Minister said that the Union government has instructed the states to carry out the measures to curb the spread of the pandemic. He added that as the Covid-19 is not fully under control, the restrictions have been imposed to safeguard the people. 

Stalin was responding to the demand kept by BJP MLA Nainar Nagendran to lift the ban on the celebrations. While Stalin has quoted the guidelines passed by the Union government, his counterpart in Andhra Pradesh Jagan Mohan Reddy has slammed the BJP leaders for protesting against the restrictions for the celebrations in his state. In a sharp counter to BJP, Andhra Pradesh ruling YSR Congress has said that it was the BJP-led Union government that asked to impose restrictions in public places and called the state BJP leaders to protest against their party's government at the Centre to withdraw such restrictions to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi festival in the state. 

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras High Court that restrictions for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations had been imposed only based on the instructions of the Union government in view of the Covid-19 spread. The state government has affirmed that small temples will be kept upon and the idols will be collected by the officials of the Hindu Religious department and will be immersed in the water body as per the protocol.