New Delhi: A row erupted after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers staged protest in Kochi on Thursday alleging that the face of ‘Pappanji’, the effigy of an old man that is burnt every New Year in Cochin Carnival, resembles that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to reports, the BJP workers staged an agitation at the Parade Ground in Fort Kochi, claiming the face that was pasted atop the 60-foot-tall effigy closely resembled that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and therefore, they would not allow the burning of the effigy on New Year.
A police team, led by Mattancherry Assistant Commissioner of Police Arun Pavithran, reached the spot and brought the situation under control.
According to a report by Mathrubhumi, Ernakulam BJP district chief KS Shaiju said that the face and attire of the Pappanji resembled that of PM Modi and that it was an attempt to insult the Prime Minister of the country.
The district chief further said that the party has filed a police complaint over the matter and the organisers of the Cochin Carnival, where the effigy is set to burnt, has assured that they would change the image of the Pappanji.
It is to be noted that the Pappanji is a model of an old man in a suit and with a beard that is burnt on the midnight of December 31.
Notably, the annual burning of Pappanji is an epic ritual that is followed at the Cochin Carnival.
The Cochin Carnival takes place at Fort Kochi and lasts until the first of January every year. The flag of the Carnival is raised in Vasco do Gama Square to mark its formal start.
The New Year's Day mass procession, that is said to be the carnival's major attraction, is led by elephants decked up in decorative attires.
Several competitions are held, including kayaking, swimming, marathons, beach volleyball, beach football, boxing, wrestling, and cycling races.