“If not Gandhimela then no mela,” Congress’ protest forces management to postpone Disneyland Fair inauguration

The District Congress and Barak Democratic Front have come up to protest against and vehemently criticize the move of organizing Disney Mela after canceling the traditional Gandhi Mela under the pretext of Covid infection at the same venue. On Friday, the District Congress put up a barricade in front of the mela ground gate at Trunk road thereby stopping the organizers from inaugurating the fair.

The Congress workers with their flags put up a strong protest in front of the gate. They said, “Even though the municipal board isn’t there but still, the municipality is being run by the district administration. Then why no permission was asked on the municipality’s behalf? It hasn’t been announced by the government yet that the effect of Covid has completely worn off. Then from where did, the Disney Mela Committee get permission to organize this meal? Whereas mela has been called off in the three districts due to Covid, organizing Disney mela by removing the name of Gandhi mela, isn’t it an insult to Gandhi himself?”

That day, the protesting politicians and workers created a huge uproar in that locality by demanding the fair to be named Gandhimela.

A representative team under the leadership of District Congress General Secretary, Abhijit Paul and City Committee President Sajal Banik demanded that the fair be called off. Or else, name the fair as Gandhi Mela. They have an issue regarding naming the fair as Disney Mela. Because Gandhi Mela has been taking place for decades now. Last year and this year due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Silchar Municipality, which in this case the District Administration has called off Gandhi Mela. But due to huge public demand and keeping things under consideration, the District Administration has allowed a fair to be organized, to which they don’t have any issue at all. But they do have an issue with the naming of the fair as Disneyland Mela rather than Gandhi Mela.

They gheraoed the manager of the Mela organizers’ committee Mukhtar Ahmed and stopped him from inaugurating the fair. They said that the Silchar municipality has been organizing Gandhi Mela here every year. And whatever profit they get from this mela gets utilized by the municipality for developmental works. They also get deposited into government trust. But this year the mela has been organized by private ownership, which means all the profit would go to private hands rather than government trust. That’s why we can’t let this mela happen. But if they rename it to Gandhi Mela and deposit all of the profit to the Silchar Municipality, we don’t have any issue with that. But the name of the fair has to be Gandhi Mela. But we won’t let any Disney Mela happen under any private ownership. The District and BDF workers have heavily criticized the District Administration’s ugly mentality.

Later the District Administration arrived with a big police force at the scene of happenings. The accusation of Congress is that if Mela has to be organized in any means, it has to be named after Gandhiji as Gandhi Mela. Otherwise, they won’t let any fair or expo happen under any other name. How would the district administration distribute the shops of the fair with the municipality’s absence?

The question of Congress is that under whose recommendation or patronage could Mukhtar Ahmed organize this Disney Mela. No answer could be found from Mukhtar Ahmed. Later, Magistrate Dhrubajyoti Pathak on behalf of the District Administration arrived at the site of protest. He requested 2 days so that this issue could be sorted out. On the other hand, the District Congress has appealed to the citizens of the society to come up and stand against such a conspiracy.