NCP leader Jitendra Awhad was another flamboyant organisers of Dahi Handi festival to pull out on Tuesday. With this, most of those who brought in stars will not be holding any festivities at all. Those who said that they will organise the festival, will do so by keeping the Supreme Court directions in mind.
"The SC directives were obstructing the whole glamour of the festival. Hence, I have decided to not celebrate the festival at all. We will only have Janmashtami Puja," said Awhad who made the festival a competition of sorts by putting big money at stake for higher human pyramids.
NCP's Sachin Ahir, who did not celebrate the festival last year said this year too it will not happen.
Bala Nandgaonkar of MNS whose party had called for collective breaking of law seemed to have fallen in line. Nangaonkar said, "We have told the mandals to celebrate it as every year. We have told them that they should follow the SC order."
Samadhan Sarvankar, organising committee member of Yuva Sena that organises Dahi Handi near Sena Bhavan, said, "We will be following orders of SC. In any case, those who go for more than five layers are just handful. It was always the smaller ones that were in large numbers."
Pratap Sarnaik from Shiv Sena said, "Like last year, we will follow the rules this year too. Since the height of pyramids is not the case this year, that will not be done."
Krishna Hegde from Congress, who stopped the festival last year, said that he will celebrate it in some other way. "I am planning to have a fancy dress competition for kids with Dahi Handi being symbolic."
