Delhi Lt Governor vs AAP Over Centuries-Old 'Phool Walon Ki Sair' Festival

A centuries-old festival in Delhi has become the latest flashpoint in a political tug-of-war, with the Lieutenant Governor and AAP trading blame over delayed permissions and heritage preservation.

Delhi's iconic 'Phool Walon Ki Sair', a centuries-old festival celebrating the city's syncretic Ganga-Jamuni culture, is set to return next year, but not without a political storm. Permission to organise the festival had been delayed, prompting Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena to intervene and order the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to grant approval.

According to Raj Niwas officials, the delay was linked to a November 28, 2023, order issued by the then AAP government's Environment and Forest Department, which prohibited festivals in the southern Ridge area. The DDA had granted permission for the festival regularly until 2023 and even facilitated the 2024 event, but this year the organisers insisted on a written clearance before proceeding.

"The LG took serious exception to a centuries-old festival being denied permission," a Raj Niwas official said. Saxena also directed that action be taken against officials for what he described as an "unresponsive and apathetic approach" to public issues. "Any official found acting in deterrence to public interest will be punished," the official added.

Following the LG's intervention, the DDA issued conditional permission, allowing organisers, Anjuman-Sair-E-Gul-Faroshan, to hold the festival at its traditional venue between February and March next year, while ensuring that the Ridge's ecological integrity is preserved.

The Aam Aadmi Party, now in Opposition, reacted sharply. Former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said:

"We raised the issue of Phool Walon Ki Sair, how this BJP government is stopping the centuries-old heritage of the Ganga-Jamuni culture of Delhi. LG sahab has an old habit of lying. We challenge him to suspend the Secretary and IAS officers who took decision to stop Phool Walon Ki Sair, this year as well as last year. We know he will not dare to suspend the officer because it was on his directions that such anti-people and communal orders were passed by officers."

The LG's office, meanwhile, emphasised that Saxena has been actively promoting the festival for the past three years, personally visiting the Dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki and the Mata Yogmaya Mandir to mark the event, and that the conditional approval was meant to balance heritage preservation with environmental protection.

Despite the resolution, the episode has turned into a political showdown. Even though AAP is no longer in government, the dispute highlights how Delhi's cultural events are often caught in a tug-of-war over credit, narrative, and political optics.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)