Politics of a celebration

Published : Oct 22, 2004 00:00 IST

The six-month-long Taj Festival to commemorate 350 years of the monument opens on a sour note owing to the friction between the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government over its organisation.

in Agra

WITH the full moon rising above the arches of the Red Fort in Agra bathing it in a soft glow, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma's lilting music on the santoor embracing everything in its captivating softness, the mellifluous renditions by noted singers Hariharan and Ghulam Ali (from Pakistan) providing an ethereal touch to the surroundings, the setting would have been perfect for a celebration of 350 years of the monument of love that Taj is.

But the political setting was far from conducive to make it a memorable event. The Central and the State governments are organising programmes independently. And considering that the parties involved are the Congress(I) and the Samajwadi Party, heading the governments at the Centre and the State, this is not surprising. The "communication gap" between the Centre and the U.P. government threatens to derail the six-month-long festivities.

The Taj Festival, originally mooted by Jagmohan, Minister for Tourism and Culture in the National Democratic Alliance government, had turned into a sort of tug-of-war between the State and the Central governments from the word go. The souring relations between the ruling parties at the Centre and in the State almost sealed its fate. Although it was supposed to be a joint venture between the two governments, the Centre did not take any interest in its planning. The Prime Minister intervened and constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM), comprising Central and State government Ministers and officials from the Tourism and Culture Departments. The GoM, which is headed by Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, held various rounds of meeting. But it was chaos on the Festival's inaugural day.

The confusion began with the venue. The State government wanted the programme to be held at Mahtab Bagh, a garden on the opposite bank of river Yamuna, behind the Taj, which gave a breathtaking view of the monument. The Centre refused permission for that and instead gave permission for the use of the Red Fort . The State government wanted permission for the night-viewing of the Taj during the programme in order to attract tourists, but the Centre refused, citing restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court. The State government approached the apex court.

The Centre also delayed granting permission to invite noted Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali until three days before the programme. In the intervening period, there was total chaos as far as preparations were concerned. While the U.P. government was hoping that the Centre would allow Mahtab Bagh to be used, the latter made alternative arrangements at the Red Fort. Later, the State government held a kite-flying competition at Mahtab Bagh during the day.

The Taj Festival was inaugurated on September 27 by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Red Fort does not have sufficient space for the local people. Tourists holding valid tickets to enter the Red Fort were denied permission and the ticket counter was closed at noon. Entry to the inaugural programme was strictly by invitation and inevitably, the limited number of invitation cards had been distributed among politicians and bureaucrats, who came with entire families in tow. Barricades and tight security prevented the people from coming anywhere near the venue. Since VVIPs like the Chief Minister, the State Governor, and the Pakistan High Commissioner were among the top invitees, all roads leading to the venue were closed to the general public. It was ironical that the Chief Minister exhorted the people to make the six-month-long programme a success!

Though the Chief Minister refrained from saying anything, he hinted at the Centre's "non-cooperation" in organising the programme and urged Governor T.V. Rajeshwar to ensure the Central government's participation. "This would mean increased revenue for the State, which could then be used to develop Agra further," he said.

The Governor, however, desisted from commenting on the veiled complaints of the Chief Minister and restricted his speech to the history of the monument. Significantly enough, the Central government's representatives remained conspicuous by their absence at the inaugural function. "We had sent invitation cards to everyone, including the Prime Minister. It is unfortunate nobody came," the Chief Minister told Frontline later.

Union Tourism Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, however, said the Central Ministers did not go because they were not properly invited. "The invitations were too casual," he said. The Centre, he said, would go ahead with its own programme, as was decided by the GoM. Strongly disapproving of the manner in which the State government had organised the programme, he said, the programmes organised by the Centre would have "soft music and no glare and no blare". The reference was to the report from the Agra unit of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that the strong lights and blaring of horns by vehicles near the Red Fort, might have caused the monument some damage. "We will have programmes keeping in view the solemnity of the tomb," he said.

As for the night-viewing of the Taj, Jaipal Reddy said this may not be possible because of the Supreme Court's restrictions. He said there were environmental and security concerns besides ethical issues. " After all it is a tomb. Throwing it open in the night violates its solemnity as there might be people who would want to party inside, drink and dance etc. Besides, at the most 400-500 people would be allowed inside Taj, but thousands would queue up outside and the situation could become unmanageable," he said.

Denying that there was a communication gap between the Centre and the State, Jaipal Reddy said the U.P. government and the Union Ministry of Tourism and Culture, would organise two programmes each in the next six months and the schedule had been worked out with consensus. As for the Chief Minister's complaints, he said there was no substance in them. "After all, we allowed him to use the Red Fort, which comes under the ASI," he said.

But despite these hiccups, the musical programme turned out to be the redeeming feature of the inaugural night. The superb performance by the music maestros was a fitting tribute to the Taj Mahal.

Meanwhile, in view of the resource crunch and the Centre's "non-cooperation", the U.P. government is exploring the possibility of handing over entire cities in the State to big business houses to develop infrastructure and boost tourism. Agra, Varanasi and Mathura-Vrindavan are being considered for this venture at the moment. "The issue is under active consideration. We have to decide which business houses to select, on what terms and so on. The final decision will be taken soon," Mulayam told Frontline.

Sign in to Unlock member-only benefits!
  • Bookmark stories to read later.
  • Comment on stories to start conversations.
  • Subscribe to our newsletters.
  • Get notified about discounts and offers to our products.
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment