In an effort to blunt efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party to gain mileage from Ram Navami, the Trinamool Congress today went all out to proclaim its faith in Lord Ram, even as the BJP circulated videos of a Ram Navami procession being pelted with stones in the Muslim-dominated district of Murshidabad. Across the State, every Trinamool candidate contesting the Lok Sabha elections donned saffron scarves and headbands and paid obeisance at Ram and Hanuman mandirs while reaching out to voters.
BJP’s IT cell head and Bengal co-minder Amit Malviya posted on X: “Mamata Banerjee is a blot on West Bengal. She, once again, failed to protect Ramanavami Shobha Yatras. Hindu devotees targeted in Rejinagar, Murshidabad. Hindus are a minority in this area. Just pointing it out, so that she doesn’t blame the Hindus for the attack on themselves.” Though the BJP claimed that many devotees had been “critically injured due to bombs and stones thrown at the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra at Shaktipur School Rejinagar, Murshidabad,” the State police denied any such incident.
The police deployed drones, CCTV cameras and 5,000 personnel to keep an eye on the 60-odd processions that were bought out by Hindutva outfits across Kolkata. High Court orders limiting the participation to 200 people and forbidding display of deadly weapons was flouted with impunity. Multiple BJP candidates were seen brandishing swords while leading processions.
Following the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya earlier this year, multiple saffron outfits such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have planned an extensive Ram Mahotsav programme from April 9 to April 23, culminating in Hanuman Jayanti.
Today, top State officials, led by Chief Secretary B P Gopalika, coordinated with district magistrates, commissioners, DIGs, SPs and other senior officials to ensure adequate deployment of forces on the road to ensure peaceful celebrations. Several places in West Bengal’s Howrah, North Dinajpur and Hooghly districts witnessed violence and arson during the Ram Navami procession in March last year.
Since the announcement of elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been alleging that the saffron camp would try to incite riots during Ram Navami “in order to polarise voters.” In a post on X, the Chief Minister wrote: “Greetings to all on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami. I appeal to maintain peace, prosperity and development for all.”
The BJP promptly criticised Banerjee with Rajya Sabha MP and BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi saying: “When the entire India and the world is celebrating the Ramnavami, the leaders of I.N.D.I. alliance are humiliating India and its culture. West Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee has made a post on social media appealing to maintain peace, this is demeaning the festival of Ramnavami as on the other religious occasions you (Mamata Banerjee) have given the message of peace, but here you are asking ‘to maintain peace’ instead of giving the message of peace and prosperity, by doing this you’re trying to humiliate the Indian & Sanatani culture.”
During his campaign speeches in West Bengal earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said: “Devotees have to move the court to seek permission for Ram Navami rallies, but those who pelt stones at these rallies are permitted to do so. This year’s Ram Navami celebrations are different as Ram Lalla has returned home to Ayodhya.
But the TMC, as in previous years, opposes Ram Navami celebrations in the State and hatches conspiracies,” the Prime Minister had said.
The BJP’s Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari attended one such Ram Navami procession in the New Town area of the city while Trinamool Congress Minister Arup Roy and the party’s Howrah Lok Sabha constituency candidate Prasun Banerjee walked with processions in Howrah town. Howrah had witnessed communal riots last year during Ram Navami, when Hindu devotees were injured in stone and bomb throwing incidents.
In Barrackpore, BJP candidate Arjun Singh, who had left the Trinamool Congress after being overlooked as candidate by Mamata Banerjee, led another Ram Navami procession.
Similar processions with youths chanting “Jai Shri Ram”, and holding saffron flags and replicas of swords amid frenzied beating of drums were witnessed in Bankura, Purulia, Durgapur, Asansol and elsewhere in the State. Despite the administration forbidding display of arms in public, in Howrah swords were displayed in Ram Navami processions.
BJP candidate Rathin Chakraborty said as part of the rituals of Ram Navami the goddess is worshipped with weapons. “This is our custom and there is no illegality in it,” he said.
The BJP’s Bardhaman candidate Dilip Ghosh and Birbhum candidate Debashis Dhar were also seen holding swords while leading Ram Navami processions.
Bengal BJP Mahila Morcha leader and Lok Sabha candidate Agnimitra Paul alleged that several restrictions had been put in place as the devotees gear up for the Ram Navami procession. “Police are putting too much pressure on Ram Navami Akharas,” she alleged.
The Trinamool Congress candidate from Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat, Sayaani Ghosh led a Ram Navami rally in her constituency. “We believe in peaceful worshipping, we don’t believe in flaunting muscle power,” she said, wearing a saffron headgear on her head. The party’s Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy, who is seeking re-election, also led a Ram Navami celebration in her constituency.
CPI(M) leader Tanmay Bhattacharya accused both the BJP and the Trinamool Congress of resorting to competitive communalism politics which is dangerous for the State’s amity and asserted that Ram Navami had never been celebrated in such a grand manner in the State even 10 years back.