Kolkata: A Hindutva outfit's move to organise 5,000 religious processions on Ram Navami has kept the authorities on tenterhooks in West Bengal as multiple police stations across the state are put on high alert to prevent any potential communal flare-up in anticipation of the Ram Navami celebrations on Wednesday.
West Bengal, a known as the land of festivals with popular saying 'baro mashe, tero porbo', which literally translates to 13 festivals in 12 months, had been in boil over Ram Navami celebrations in the last few years over slugfest between the TMC and BJP over the celebration of Ram Navami in the state.
Interestingly alongside Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Saraswati Puja, which have always been big in Bengal, Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti have assumed significance in recent years.
Meanwhile, the Hindu Jagran Manch has asked its cadres to mobilise its men approximately 5,000 religious processions at the ward or panchayat level in all districts of the state. The organisation which subscribes to the same ideology as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has also staged significant processions in Barasat, Siliguri, and Kolkata's Burrabazar.
The district administrations in Hooghly, Howrah, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur, Asansol, and Barrackpore, which have previously witnessed communal tensions during Ram Navami celebrations, are asked to be prepared to tackle any law and order crisis.
A police official said processions of the Hindutva outfit will be videographed. Ram Navami celebrations in recent years have transformed into a political battleground, often resulting in rallies escalating into significant political confrontations between the ruling TMC and BJP.
On March 30 last year, clashes broke out in Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations over pelting of stones by elements which allegedly intended to disturb communal harmony in those areas.
The turmoil had spiralled to two other districts, North Dinajpur and Hooghly. The confrontations resulted in injuries to 10 individuals. Earlier this week, the Calcutta high court on Monday granted permission to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Anjani Putra Sena to take out Ram Navami processions in Howrah on April 17 while imposing certain conditions. The state government asked the organisers of the procession to take alternative route.
VHP plans events across Bengal
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the BJP said they will organise rallies and programmes across Bengal, which is being perceived as a show of strength by the Trinamool Congress governemnt.
"Keep your head cool even If there is a blast, they (BJP) send the NIA to arrest everyone. By arresting everyone, your country will become desolate," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned during an Eid prayer in Kolkata on April 11. She has expressed concerns days ahead of Ram Navami.
Politics over Ram
The BJP and the TMC is often at the loggerheads over celebration regarding Lord Ram whom the ruling party often labelled as 'god' with no history associated with West Bengal- a fact the BJP has vehemently objected. The BJP has earlier criticised Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal for not announcing a holiday on January 22, the day of the pran prathishtha of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
After a holiday was declared, the BJP called the Mamata Banerjee government's decision to declare Ram Navami a public holiday in the state "too late".
"Mamata Banerjee, who would turn blue with rage every time she heard ‘Jai Shree Ram’, has designated Ram Navami (17th April) as a public holiday in West Bengal. She has done this to redeem her anti-Hindu image. Too late thoughâ€æ More importantly, she needs to ensure no stones are pelted on Ram Navami processions. Will she? Jai Shree Ram," Amit Malviya wrote on X.
Besides in Raiganj, during a recent rally, PM Narendra Modi turned the heat on Trinamool Congress government saying the state governemnt is averse to allow processions on Ram Navami. "In Bengal, permission is not given for the procession of Ram Navami, for that the devotees have to go to court, and the TMC government has given full permission to those who throw stones at the procession of Ram Navami and Durga Puja," he said.
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