E-Paper
Mamata reaches Kashi, attends ‘Ganga Aarti’
A group of right-wing activists shows black flags to the West Bengal chief minister; she says “They are doing all this due to fear of defeat.”
VARANASI West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee embarked upon a two-day visit to the PM’s constituency – Varanasi on Wednesday evening to campaign for the Samajwadi Party in the ongoing UP polls. After her arrival, she went to Dashashwamedh Ghat and attended the ‘Ganga Aarti’.
The TMC leader sat on the stairs of the ghats instead of the chair set up for her.
Mamata, along with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, will address a public rally in the city on Thursday. The programme will also be attended by SBSP chief Omprakash Rajbhar. His son, SBSP general secretary Arvind Rajbhar, is SP-SBSP alliance candidate from the Shivpur assembly constituency here.
SP’s district unit vice-president Sanjay Mishra said all preparations for the programme had been completed.
Voting in 54 assembly constituencies of nine districts is scheduled in the last and seventh phase of UP polls on March 7.
BLACK FLAGS SHOWN TO MAMATA
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee faced protests while she was on her way to Dashashwamedh Ghat to see the ‘Ganga Aarti’. A group of Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) activists present near Godaulia intersection showed her black flags and shouted “go back, go back” and “Jai Shri Ram” slogans.
As the activists of the right-wing youth outfit started protesting, Mamata got off the vehicle and stood in front of them. She boarded the car after police personnel took the activists away. “They are doing all this due to fear of defeat,” said Mamata.
One of the activists was detained, said a senior police officer.
Reacting to the incident, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted: “The BJP’s condition is bad because sister and brother are together. BJP has still not recovered from the shock of the shameful defeat in West Bengal, that is why it is showing black flags to Mamata Banerjee ji in Banaras. This is another form of frustration because they know they are losing UP badly too.”
Kashi region BJP leader Somnath Vishwakarma refuted the allegation that the activists belonged to his party. “They are not BJP workers and are in no way connected to the party. BJP workers are quiet, disciplined and they never do such things,” he said.
