On the day Prime Narendra Modi led the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ celebrations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee used the platform of an all-faith meeting to lay bare the widening fissures within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in an apparent effort to paint herself as the biggest opponent of the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
She accused her bloc partner the CPI(M) of trying to dictate terms at the meeting of I.N.D.I.A. bloc, a statement which hints at the widening fissures within the Opposition alliance.
“I fought the CPI(M) for 34 years in Bengal. Now I see them trying to dictate terms at INDIA bloc meetings,” Banerjee said.
In an apparent dig at Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, she said: “Merely visiting temples will not help.”
While the nation was entranced by the ceremonies at Ayodhya, in a riposte to the Prime Minister, Banerjee offered prayers at a temple, a gurdwara, a masjid and a church during her three-hour Sampriti (harmony) march which culminated in the minority-dominated Park Circus.
During her march, she was accompanied by religious leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian and Sikh communities. Earlier, the Trinamool Congress supremo had said the interfaith rally organised by her was not a counter to the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.
During her address, Mamata Banerjee questioned the BJP and questioned if they were “anti-women” as they didn’t take the name of Goddess Sita during one-week rituals of Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Temple.
“I am not against Ram, I respect Ram and Sita, but they don’t take the name of Sita. So, are you anti-women? If there were no women, then Ram couldn’t have been born,” she said.
“They even refer to me as ‘Mumtaz Begum’,” she said, adding that she observes “roja” or ritual fasting from dawn to dusk, during the month of Ramzan.
In an effort to burnish her secular credentials, Banerjee, while addressing the Park Circus gathering, said: “To all the dharma gurus who have walked with me today, I share my gratitude with all. All the religious places that I have come across on my way, I have paid my tribute to all of them.” She also reeled off a list of initiatives she had taken to develop holy sites in West Bengal, irrespective of the religions.
“I want to show my respect to all the people of Bengal because all of you are cultured and educated people. Today the people of Bengal have to take up a big responsibility. Will the people of this country survive or will someone before the elections come and sell the entire country and go?” she asked.
“Do you remember when the Babri Masjid was destroyed, so many people lost their lives in Kolkata, in Mumbai and in Ayodhya?” she asked her audience. She also reminded her audience that it was only her party that had protested and stopped the implementation of the NRC.
She reiterated that the BJP Government at the Centre had suspended payments to the State on account of MGNREGA and Awas Yojana schemes. “They are now threatening to stop payments on account of the health scheme if we do not paint the health centres in saffron. Who are they to dictate what paint we should use? Or what food we should eat? Why should we paint our health centres in their party’s colours?” she asked.
Though Trinamool Congress leaders had been saying that the “all-faith rally” would be totally apolitical, party flags were waved by supporters and slogans in support of Banerjee and the party were heard as the rally progressed.
