A circular sent out by the UP government to DMs and divisional commissioners asking them to organise cultural events during Navratri and oversee holding of Akhand Ramayan paath on Ramnavmi in major temples kicked up a row, with a section of the Opposition criticising the government for allegedly favouring a particular religion.

Principal secretary of the tourism department, Mukesh Meshram, told ET: “Such events are organised in multiple states — be it Ganeshotsav in Maharashtra, Durga Puja in West Bengal. For large crowd management the government has to be involved. Also, the department is not paying temples or priests, it is only paying local artistes.” The government will give `1 lakh to each DM for expenses of artistes and performers, it said.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said: “We welcome the proposal… (But) at least `10 crore should be provided so that festivals of all religions can be celebrated.” He reminded the government of its promise of distributing free gas cylinders on Holi and Diwali and said it should start with Ramnavami.