Indian Billionaire Harsh Goenka Condemns VIP Culture at Lalbaugcha Raja, Calls Out ‘Unequal Treatment’: Watch Video
Indian Billionaire Harsh Goenka Condemns VIP Culture at Lalbaugcha Raja, Calls Out ‘Unequal Treatment’: Watch Video
Harsh Goenka questions the stark differences in treatment between VIPs and common devotees at the famous Lalbaugcha Raja pandal in Mumbai.
Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Group, recently shared a video that sheds light on the VIP culture prevalent at Lalbaugcha Raja, one of Mumbai’s most visited Ganesh pandals during Ganesh Chaturthi. In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Goenka highlighted the disparity between the treatment of VIPs and regular devotees, sparking a conversation about faith and equality.
Ever wondered why people opt for VIP darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja? It’s because the common devotee often faces long waits and crowds, highlighting the unequal treatment. Isn’t faith supposed to be equal for all? pic.twitter.com/kCAhpcDq25
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) September 12, 2024
The Lalbaugcha Raja pandal draws nearly 1.5 million devotees every day during the 10-day Ganesh festival. Despite its reputation as a “sarvajanik” or “public” event, recent videos have raised concerns about the unequal experience for common worshippers. In one such video, regular devotees, who often wait in line for up to 12 hours, are seen being hurried past the iconic idol by security staff. In contrast, a VIP family is shown leisurely taking pictures in front of the idol without any rush.
Goenka’s post, accompanied by a video of devotees rushing towards the idol as gates open briefly, emphasized the challenges faced by the common man. “Ever wondered why people opt for VIP darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja? It’s because the common devotee often faces long waits and crowds, highlighting the unequal treatment. Isn’t faith supposed to be equal for all?” Goenka questioned.
His remarks resonated with many, as several users in the comments section expressed their agreement, criticizing the preferential treatment given to VIPs at religious events that are meant to be open to all. Read some comments here:
“Unfortunately haven’t taken darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja. I feel sorry for those devotees being pushed who stand in the queue for hours and hours and get a glimpse for a second whereas VIPs who break the queue get to stand there and take a selfie etc,” wrote X user.
“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 micro seconds,” another person opined
“In most places – not just temples- be it stadiums, colleges, voting lines, conferences…., there are common people, VIPs, VVIPs, VVVIPs and so on. Unfortunately, everybody wants exclusivity! But no one wants others to have exclusivity that they don’t have. And so the cycle goes on. Very sad and unfortunate”, an user commented
