Even as the opinions stand divided over the firecracker ban in Delhi-NCR, Patanjali founder Ramdev has opposed the Supreme Court order and said that only a particular community is being targeted.
Talking to India TV during an interview, Ramdev said that only Hindus are being targeted. He said that the way Hindu festivals are under radar is wrong.
“Is it right to taken legal move for everything? I run schools, universities… we permit only hand-held firework that burns slowly... we don’t support firecrackers with high decibels. Ban should be imposed on big firecrackers,” he told the news channel.
The yoga guru also attacked Shashi Tharoor on the issue and said that 'an intelligent man like Tharoor must not talk like this.'
In a support of the cracker ban, Tharoor had tweeted that the firecrackers affect everyone.
The Supreme Court on October 9 had restored a ban till November 1 on the sale of crackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).
The court gave the verdict on a plea seeking restoration of the apex court's last year order.
Diwali is on October 19 and the order effectively means that no firecrackers will be available for purchase before the festival.
The top court, through its November 11 order last year, had suspended all licences which 'permit a sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail within the territory of NCR'.
The apex court had last month temporarily lifted its earlier order suspending licences for sale of firecrackers, saying a complete ban would be an 'extreme step' and a graded approach was needed to curb pollution caused by them.
The court, however, had said its order lifting the ban on sale of firecrackers might require a 'review' after Diwali depending on the ambient air quality after the festival.
