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Mamata Banerjee to lead religious harmony rally in Kolkata on Jan 22
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said she is not doing this to counter anyone or protest anything
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, who earlier called the inauguration of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on January 22 a “gimmick show” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Lok Sabha polls, announced on Tuesday that she will lead a rally in Kolkata on that day and visit places of worship associated with every religion.
Addressing the media at the state secretariat, Banerjee said: “I am not doing this to counter anyone or protest anything. I have already said religion belongs to individuals but festivals are for all. On January 22, I will first offer prayers to Maa Kali and then lead the rally. It will touch temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches along its route before reaching Park Circus where a meeting will be held.”
“Our people will take out similar processions at every community block in every district at 3pm on that day,” she added.
Targeting the BJP, Banerjee alleged that the Union railway ministry informed the state government in November last year that the newly constructed pedestrian skywalk leading to the famous Dakshineswar temple has to be dismantled for the East-West metro railway project.
“I will not allow this as long as there is a drop of blood in my body. They talk of religious places and they want to demolish the skywalk. Dakshineswar is associated with Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. Our government had to work very hard to relocate hawkers and landowners to build the skywalk. We had to contest court cases,” said Banerjee.
“Consecration is the job of priests. Our job is to develop infrastructure,” she quipped.
Although the issue of seat sharing among INDIA coalition partners for the coming polls is still clouded the timing of Banerjee’s statements almost coincided with the remarks Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made in Manipur where he is leading the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
Explaining why Congress leaders declined to attend the Ayodhya event, Rahul Gandhi called it a “political function of Narendra Modi.”
Even though Banerjee voiced her criticisms ahead of the consecration ceremony, she somehow distanced herself from the “gimmick show” remark she made on January 9.
“We are organising our rally because the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be observed on January 23,” Banerjee said, implying that the TMC wants to pay homage to the freedom fighter who was revered for his secular values.
“I am making these statements not as chief minister of West Bengal, but as chairperson of the Trinamool Congress,” Banerjee clarified.
Kaushik Mitra, chief public relations officer of Metro Railway in Kolkata said: “We wrote a letter to the state government in November seeking some land for the project. Nobody said the skywalk has to be demolished.”
The chief minister expressed her outrage at a time when Bengal BJP leaders have gone all out to make the Ayodhya event a success.
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, distributed oil lamps among people of Nandigram, his assembly constituency, and urged them to observe the Ram Mandir inauguration at their homes. He also distributed invitation cards among pedestrians at Kolkata’s Hazra intersection, not far from the chief minister’s residence.
Amit Malviya, BJP national executive member in charge of Bengal, targeted Banerjee on social media for organising the rally.
“This is nothing but preparing ground for communal confrontation(s) on a day when Hindus will be fasting, observing rituals and visiting temples,” Malviya wrote.
