**Cuttack: ** The VIP culture goes beyond the banning of red beacons, keeping it very much alive. When the denizens of Cuttack geared up for pandal hopping on Friday morning, after a rainy Thursday evening, their woes seemed to increase manifold at Chauliagang Durga Pandal where they got stuck in long queues for more than an hour.
It was not because of the increase in number of devotees, but it was because of a single VIP devotee, our very own Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who decided to pay obeisance to Goddess Durga at this particular pandal.
“There is no end to this VIP culture. It has been always present. We are stuck here having no way out only because the Minister has come to visit the Puja Mnadap. They should at least think about the problems of the common people. I am here for more than half an hour and don’t know how long it will take to clear,” said a man on bike, with a small child.
Another spectator of the Puja, Manoj Sahoo said, “This is the festival of people. But when the netas come, the common public gets harassed because of their visits. As such, Cuttack has narrow roads. There was a traffic jam for around half an hour.”
It has become a common sight for public to stand in long queues waiting for their turn to have a glimpse of their deity whereas the VIP ministers make their way easily to the podium increasing the wait of the people, encashing on their public stature. Though Modi government boasts of ending the VIP culture by banning red beacons, but it is yet to be ended in real practice.
“The politicians should visit alone if they want to witness the grandeur of the Puja. But to come with a number of party workers and waving party flags is very inappropriate in such a festive time,” opined Jagannath Mallick, another resident of Cuttack.