All Ramnavami committees in Burdwan to get Rs 5,000 each

Asansol/Kolkata: In a desperate bid to steal the show of the Ramnavami celebrations from the BJP, a Trinamul Congress-ruled municipal corporation distributed Rs 5,000 to each of 150 Ramnavami and Aakhara commitees on Saturday at Asansol in Burdwan amidst the ruling party’s bone of contention with the BJP over the style of celebration of the festival in the state.

A cabinet minister of the Mamata Banerjee government even declared at the event that the amount came from the tax-payers’ money while the civic body’s mayor claimed that the Trinamul supremo became the chief minister because of Lord Ram’s blessings on her.

Significantly, Union minister Babul Supriyo is the MP of Asansol. The amount was given to the Ramnavami organisers at a programme at Asansol Municipal Corporation building.

State law and labour minister Molay Ghatak, Asansol Mayor Jitendra Tiwari, Trinamul MLA Tapas Banerjee were present at the event.

Mr Ghatak said, “The money given by us is of the corporation. It was collected in form of tax by the corporation from you all.”

Without taking the BJP’s name he alleged that others also distributed money but it came from either Nirav Modi or Lalit Modi or Vijay Mallya and so the money could not be used for religious work.

Mr Tiwari said, “On the instruction of chief minister Mamata Banerjee earlier we gave a small amount— Rs 3000— to each of 78 committees. This time we are giving Rs 5000 each of 150 commitees.”

He urged the people to read Ramayana following which no requirement of peace committee meeting would be needed.

Mr Tiwari claimed, “Lord Ram’s blessings have been with us for many years. If His blessings were not with us then Mr Ghatak would not have become a minister for two terms, Mr Banerjee would not have become MLA and I too could not have become a mayor.”

He added, “Lord Ram’s blessings is also with our chief minister. That is why Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister.”

The civic body have been distributing money to the Ramnavami organisers for last two years. Describing the distribution of money as ‘vote-bank politics’ by the ruling party BJP leader Nirmal Sarkar said, “The BJP should obviously be very happy as it has been raising voice for the Hindus.”