The Ram Navami debate has once again taken the centre stage in Bengal politics. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for “trying to obstruct BJP’s Ram Navami’s plan and opposing CAA”, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced to organise a Ram Navami ‘shobha yatra’ in Howrah on Wednesday.
Speaking at a public rally in Bengal’s Raiganj, PM Modi said, “The law does not decide what will be permitted and what will not be in TMC’s Bengal. This is decided by the goons of TMC.” Taking a swipe at the state government, he said that “corruption is a full time business in Bengal”.
“Criminals have so much confidence that they openly attack the central probe agencies,” the Prime Minister said, adding that “Crime and illegal activities have become a full-time business in Bengal, political murders also take place in the state.”
He said that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC also stole the money sent by the Centre under MGNREGA. “TMC wants to keep Bengal poor so that its own business is always prosperous” PM Modi added.
Earlier, in Bengal’s Balurghat, PM Modi had said that the TMC, “like always” tried to stop Ram Navami programme in Bengal. “But the court has given permission, and tomorrow everyone will celebrate shobha yatra,” he added.
Minutes after the speech Mamata Banerjee’s party put out a statement saying that they will “attend and cover Ram Navami Shobha Yatra with Howrah candidate Prasun Banerjee, in presence of party’s star campaigner Saayoni Ghosh along with Arup Roy and Bengal sports minister Manoj Tiwary”.
The Calcutta High Court on Monday granted permission to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to hold a procession on Ram Navami in Howrah city while imposing certain conditions to ensure the event proceeds without tension.
The petitioners had requested permission for the procession, starting from near Shibpur IIEST to Ramkrishnapur ferry ghat on the banks of the Hooghly.
Justice Jay Sengupta permitted the procession, stipulating that no provocative slogans are to be chanted and that it must proceed without stopping en route on Ram Navami, which falls on Wednesday.
The court mandated that the procession will be held with a maximum of 200 participants and five volunteers will monitor that the number is not breached.
The West Bengal government had highlighted unrest during last year’s procession, indicating an ongoing NIA investigation into the incident.
In light of this, the government proposed an alternative route for the procession, which the organisers contested, leading to their petition in the high court.
In recent years, Ram Navami rallies in the state have escalated into major political issues due to communal riots, with the ruling TMC and opposition BJP accusing each other of inciting violence. As the BJP aims at consolidating Hindus before the polls, the TMC, not ready to cede ground to the saffron camp, is also doing its bit as the state government declared a holiday on Ram Navami for the first time and the party planning rallies across the state.
(with inputs from PTI)
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