Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will provide prayers to Maa Kaali on 22 January, the day of Ram Lalla’s consecration ceremony on the Ayodhya Ram temple, earlier than main an interfaith rally, Sampriti, on the identical day.
Mamata had earlier known as the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya a pre-poll gimmick of the BJP, saying faith is a private selection.
“Until the Trinamool Congress is there, I swear by God I won’t allow any discrimination,” she had mentioned on 9 January.
The CM and Trinamool Congress chief introduced her plans for 22 January at a press convention held on the state secretariat Tuesday.
“I will do a rally on 22 January. It will begin from Kali Mandir, which I will visit to offer prayers to Maa Kaali,” she mentioned. “Following that, we will hold an interfaith rally from Hazra to Park Circus maidan and hold a meeting there. We will cover mosques, temples, churches, and gurdwaras along the way. Everybody is welcome to join the rally. People of all faiths will be there at the rally,” she added.
The Trinamool Congress will probably be holding related interfaith rallies in all of the districts and blocks of West Bengal at 3pm on 22 January.
With the deliberate 22 January occasion, the Trinamool Congress chief will probably be seen again in motion after a protracted hiatus.
Mamata Banerjee, who has been zooming out and in of hospital of late attending to accidents sustained final 12 months, final held a rally in September 2022, to thank UNESCO for the heritage tag bestowed upon Bengal’s annual pageant of Durga puja.
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‘Not linked to LS polls’
Whereas the BJP has slammed Mamata’s 22 January plans, political analysts mentioned her deliberate occasion is more likely to ship a robust message to her voters.
Talking to ThePrint, former BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta mentioned Mamata’s plans had been a part of her efforts to carry on to Hindu voters, however added that they raised questions on her sentiments in the direction of the religion.
“For Mamata Banerjee, Hindu sentiments don’t have a validity of their own, and that’s why it needs to be linked to other faiths. She is free to choose any day to take a walk… this isn’t linked to the Lok Sabha elections but how she feels about the Hindu religion,” he mentioned.
Political analyst Udayan Bandopadhyay mentioned Mamata’s “playing the role of a strong Opposition not willing to leave an inch of field”.
“While the Congress is criticising the Ayodhya event, it’s not opposing the ‘pran pratishtha’ of Lord Ram. Mamata, meanwhile, is holding on to the imagination of her voters by opposing the inauguration but at the same time holding an alternative event in Kolkata, sending a message of interfaith unity,” he added.
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