New Year celebrations spark debate in UP after All India Muslim Jamaat President's remarks

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 29 : Remarks by the President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, discouraging New Year celebrations have triggered a debate in Uttar Pradesh, with state minister Dayashankar Singh responding that observing January 1 is a matter of individual choice and not compulsion.
Speaking in Bareilly ahead of New Year's Eve, Maulana Razvi said that celebrations held on the night of December 31 are against Islamic teachings. "On the night of December 31st, people generally celebrate in a boisterous manner, with noise, revelry, dancing, singing, and all sorts of indecent behaviour. According to the Islamic Sharia ruling, it is considered frivolous and wasteful, and such activities are forbidden in Sharia," he told ANI.
He added that celebrating the New Year in January is not aligned with religious calendars. "Celebrating the New Year in this manner is impermissible because, according to the Islamic calendar, the new year does not begin in January; it begins with the month of Muharram. Similarly, in Hindu culture, the new year begins with the month of Chaitra," the cleric said, asserting that religious scholars would "strictly prohibit" parties involving dancing, singing and extravagance.
Reacting to the statement in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh minister Dayashankar Singh said that there was no obligation on anyone to celebrate the New Year. "New Year's Day is celebrated according to the English calendar. It's not the Indian New Year. But everyone has their own opinion. Whether they celebrate it or not is up to them. There's no compulsion," he said.
Singh also commented on a recent controversy sparked by a social media post from Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
On Congress Leader Digvijaya Singh's tweet on RSS-BJP, he said, "He said that even a person sitting on the ground can become the most popular person in the world, and this is only possible in the BJP. This cannot happen in other parties where nepotism and dynastic politics still prevail, where the entire political power is concentrated within a single family..."
Digvijay Singh had shared an old photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor near senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, describing it as a reflection of organisational strength. Digvijaya Singh later clarified that his remarks praising "sangathan" (organisation) were misinterpreted, reiterating that he remains opposed to the RSS and the BJP leadership.