Party plans to celebrate Ram Navami by taking out processions, Shobha Yatra, in each and every town and block across the state
New Delhi: Signalling a massive Hindu outreach, the BJP in West Bengal will be celebrating Ram Navami by taking out processions – “Shobha Yatra” -- in each and every town and block across the state. Speaking to this newspaper, former BJP state unit chief Dilip Ghosh claimed that the participation of Hindus in Ram Navami was “increasing every year” in the state. He declared that the scale of the celebration will be “unprecedented”.
While Mr Ghosh alleged that the plight of Hindus in the state has become similar to the “suffering Hindus” in Bangladesh, Union home minister Amit Shah accused the TMC government of using illegal immigrants as the party’s vote bank. Speaking at an event, Mr Shah said that “the Central government cannot allow such a move to succeed”. He added: “They see illegal immigrants as their vote bank. They want illegal immigrants as their voters. But we can’t allow any party to use illegal migrants as vote banks.”
It is learnt that the saffron party has now increased its focus on mobilisation on the ground with an eye to next year’s Assembly polls. Through the Ram Navami celebrations, the BJP hopes to make further inroads into West Bengal’s political landscape by pushing its aggressive Hindutva agenda.
BJP insiders said the Ram Navami processions are a strategic move to consolidate Hindu votes in key districts where the party aims to improve its performance compared to the 2021 Assembly polls.
Mr Ghosh, also a former Lok Sabha MP, claimed that this time the Ram Navami celebration will be bigger than earlier years and that “pujas” and “Shobha Yatras” will be organised across the state. “Hindus in Bengal are living under fear like Hindus in Bangladesh. Like Bangladesh, the Hindus in West Bengal are attacked, and the police and administration do not protect them. Permissions are not given or thousands of conditions put in place to stop Hindus from celebrating their festivals. Hindus are not feeling safe in Bengal, they are forced to leave as attacks have increased, but despite all this
Ram Navami will be celebrated with more enthusiasm at more places across the state,” Mr Ghosh said.
Organisations like the RSS and VHP have planned to take out rallies in every administrative block and township of West Bengal to mobilise the maximum number of people.
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal told this newspaper that despite the appeasement politics of the TMC government, Hindus of West Bengal will celebrate the Ram Navami with enthusiasm. West Bengal BJP Minority Morcha chief Charles Nandi, meanwhile, said with the party launching a pan-India outreach programme for Muslims, Sikhs and Christians, the state Minority Morcha distributed festive kits “Saugat-e-Modi” (gifts from Prime Minister Narendra Modi) during Id-ul-Fitr in East Midnapore, Birbhum, Hooghly and other minority dominated districts.
