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Time of India
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bihar's election platter turns spicy with mutton parties in Shravan
Patna: Holy Shrawan month is on, and temples are abuzz with Shiva devotees fasting. Vegetarianism is in vogue. But in poll-bound Bihar, guess what's stealing the spotlight? Mutton curries! Mutton Rogan Josh — that rich, aromatic Kashmiri delight made a surprise appearance in the central hall of the state assembly on Monday, the second Somwari. The occasion? First day of the monsoon session before the state goes to polls. The serving was enough to stir a political potboiler. Leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav wasted no time. He accused the NDA leader of adopting a "double standard" over meat consumption. "BJP MLAs relished mutton on Shravan Somwari (Monday). We have no objection to anyone's food choice, but the PM should not be 'selective' in his attacks. While he finds it pleasing that his party leaders eat mutton during Shravan, he doesn't hesitate to attack opposition leaders even though they avoid non-vegetarian foods," Tejashwi posted on social media. He also uploaded a video of the stall with "Mutton Rogan Josh" to highlight his point. The video has gone viral on social media. The BJP reacted by saying that Tejashwi, being the leader of the opposition, should focus on the election looming large rather than watching who is eating what. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy the Dip: Top 5 Dividend Stocks with Growth Potential Seeking Alpha Read More Undo "Maybe the caterer also arranged for the mutton dish along with vegetarian food, but did Tejashwi only watch who ate the mutton?" state BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma said on Tuesday. Mocking Tejashwi, Sharma said whether the leader of opposition should scan the CCTV images to find out who consumed what or focus on Bihar's development. This isn't the first time mutton has made an entry in Shravan when majority Hindus turn vegetarian. Last week, Union minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh triggered a similar row when he hosted a mutton party for his supporters in Lakhisarai, which is a part of his Munger Lok Sabha constituency. In a video that went viral, Lalan is heard saying that he arranged both "vegetarian and non-vegetarian" foods. Tejashwi again took a dig at Singh for hosting a mutton party during Shravan. Earlier this month, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor arranged "biryani" for all those who came to hear his speech in Kishanganj district. TV footage released later showed people crowding the food stalls and scrambling to get the food packets. But the party claims it was "vegetarian biryani" and not mutton. Mutton had been the menu for controversy earlier also when RJD chief Lalu Prasad cooked a special mutton dish for Congress MP Rahul Gandhi at his daughter's residence in Delhi during Shrawan in 2023. The video of Lalu cooking mutton in a desi style and stirring in a pot went viral at that time, drawing sharp reactions from the NDA. Later, Tejashwi and his ally, Muhesh Sahani, drew bitter criticisms from the NDA leader after both were caught on camera relishing fish during a chopper ride as part of the poll campaign during the LS elections. The NDA leaders targeted the duo, describing their acts as an "insult to sanatan" for relishing during "Navaratra". Later, Tejashwi clarified that they had eaten the non-vegetarian dish before the start of Navarata.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Massive turnout at Shiva temples across capital on first Somwari
1 2 3 4 5 6 Patna: Temples across the city resonated with the chants of 'Bam Bam Bhole', 'Om Namah Shivaye' and 'Har Har Mahadev' on the occasion of the first 'Somwari' (Monday) of the auspicious Shrawan month. A large number of devotees gathered at Shiva temples across the city since early morning. They offered prayers and sought blessings for good health, prosperity and spiritual growth, and also performed 'jal abhishek'. Men and women of all ages were seen walking barefoot to temples, which wore a festive look and were decorated with flowers and festoons. Some unmarried girls claimed that they observed fasting so that they could get employment and a good husband. "I have been observing fast on 'Somwari' since my school days, for peace and happiness in my family," Archana Kumari, a resident of Fatuha, said, adding that she also thanked Bholenath for everything in her life. A serpentine queue was witnessed outside the Baikunth Dham Gauri Shankar temple in Khusrupur, where devotees gathered from far-flung areas of Patna and the neighbouring districts like Nalanda, Vaishali and Saran. The doors of the temple were open for devotees after 2am. The head priest of the temple, Vijay Shankar Tiwari, said over 2 lakh devotees offered prayers. "Separate queues were made for men and women devotees. The local police also helped in managing the crowd. SDPO-II Pankaj Kumar was seen monitoring the security arrangements near the temple premises," he said. Devotees reached with water, milk, flowers and 'belpatra' and other puja materials to offer on the Shivling. Vidyapati Sah, a devotee from Sultanganj, said it is believed that performing Jalabhishek with milk can help wipe out past sins, bring emotional balance, and purify the mind and body. A collective 'Rudrabhishek' was performed with rituals at the Narmadeshwar Mahadev temple in Ashiana Nagar Phase-2. The temple management committee's president, Shivshankar Acharya, said the main sanctum and its outer area were adorned with marigold flowers. "The prayer service started from 5am and continued till late evening," he said. A rush of devotees was also witnessed at Mahavir Mandir near Patna Junction. Temple superintendent, K Sudhakaran, said a total of 700 people offered 'jal abhishek' at four Shivlings on the temple premises between 5am and 11am, while 62 families performed 'rudra abhishek'. "Around 2,500 devotees visited the temple and sought the blessings of God," he added, while the management made elaborate arrangements with additional facilities for them. A 54 feet-long 'kanwar yatra', a decorated pole with pots of holy water, was carried by hundreds of devotees in Kaimashikoh locality of Patna City. The yatra started on the beats of drums, march of horses and decorated elephants, in which kanwariyas and devotees wearing saffron clothes participated, shouting "Bol Bam". An ebullient devotee Kundan Sinha showed high enthusiasm and said Baba would make us completely pure and give wisdom to all the devotees. Another devotee, Pritam Kumar, said he prayed after taking a bath in the Ganga river.
