Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh idol in Mumbai, which is visited by millions of people during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, has been criticized for developing VIP culture and discriminating against ordinary devotees. Some of the recent viral videos have raised many eyebrows as to how VIPs and normal devotees are treated at Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal.
In one video, people were seen standing in a long line, some of them having waited for 12 hours and were being pushed and dragged by the security guards before they could even bend their heads in front of the Ganpati idol. On the other hand, a VIP family was allowed to take pictures in front of the idol without anyone being in a hurry.
Another video showed the scenes of chaos as several dozen devotees stormed into the pandal when the gates were opened for a couple of minutes to let more people in to get a glimpse of the idol.
RPG Group chairman Harsh Goenka, the billionaire, posted one video on X and discussed unequal treatment of devotees. ‘Why do they take VIP darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja?’ The common devotee has to wait for long hours, and there are so many people around you, which shows the inequality in the treatment. Isn’t faith equal for everyone?’ he questioned.
Many users of social media also had the same feeling as Goenka, where they felt for the devotees who stood in lines and in large crowds to get a darshan of the idol once, while VIPs are seen standing and taking time in front of the idol without even standing in lines.
The comment of one of the users was: “It should be declared ‘VIP Only’ pandal; common people travel long distances and struggle a lot with their devotion to get this treatment and darshan for microseconds.
Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, which was started in 1934, has been regarded as one of the most pious Ganesh mandals in Mumbai, where people from all sections of society visit. However, recent backlash has emerged to question the mandal’s adherence to the principles of ‘sarvajanik’ or public in its name.
