Kulti (West Bengal): Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from the Kulti Assembly constituency Ajay Poddar was seen dancing with the swords on Sunday during 'Ram Navami Akhara', a religious function that takes place days after Ram Navami. Poddar was seen dancing with swords in the Itapara area of the Kulti. This sparked controversy as the state does not allow the display of weapons during religious processions. However, Poddar refuted the allegations saying that he did not perform any stunts with swords on the road.
A video of this incident is doing rounds on social media. In the video, Poddar was seen carrying two swords and dancing with them while donning a saffron turban. Poddar was surrounded by the crowd cheering for him. Despite this, Poddar claimed that no weapons were used in the procession on the road. Talking to the media, Poddar said, "All our Hindu Gods and Goddesses carry a weapon in their hands. We even worship weapons. Celebrating Ram Navami Akhara days after Ram Navami is an age-old ritual."
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Poddar further said, "I didn't display weapons in the arena. I didn't go out on the road with weapons. This happened inside a locality. This is a tradition that after burning Ravan, weapon worship is organised in the village." Several people, including women and children, took part in this procession, and Poddar displaying weapons and performing stunts with the swords sparked a controversy. The district police administration has begun a probe into this incident as the MLA's actions seemed to have disobeyed the Chief Minister's orders. The police started a thorough probe into it.
