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24 Oct 2026
A poem by Aziz Tankarvi that triggered objections from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) over alleged hurt to Hindu religious sentiments was included in an earlier draft of the Gujarat government’s Gujarat Deepotsavi Diwali publication but was omitted from the final edition released by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a government official said on condition of anonymity. The official further said that around 10,000 printed copies of the annual publication do not contain the poem, nor does the final digital e-copy. This came after the VHP urged Chief Minister Patel to take action over the poem, alleging that certain verses referring to Lord Ram, Bharat and devotee Meera Bai were objectionable and hurt Hindu religious sentiments. ........
