Attempts by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to stall Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) proposed rath yatras in poll-bound West Bengal exposes the weakness of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, according to N V Subhash, Telangana BJP senior leader.
"Creating obstacles for the five Parivartan Yatras which are scheduled to be flagged off by BJP senior leaders from February 6 in West Bengal is an act of cowardice. This indicates that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has lost her grip over the state and fear losing the throne," he said.
In a statement on Thursday, Subhash said the 25-day rath yatras have been proposed to create awareness among the people, but the state government was making all-out efforts to stop the BJP programme by several means.
"Even before BJP gets approval for the yatras, TMC leaders filed a petition in the court seeking not to give permission considering the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows how the Mamata Banerjee government is trying to prevent BJP leaders from taking out yatras," Subhash said, adding that the campaign launched by the senior BJP leaders has sent ripples in the TMC leadership and hence they wanted to stop BJP 'by hook or by crook'.
Reacting to Mamata Banerjee's comments that the defectors from the party were "greedy" and they left before she drove them out, the BJP leader said Banerjee was losing ground in the state and by declining permission for the Rath Yatras, she was giving wrong signals to the people on the faith of democracy.
"The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Haldia on February 7 to participate in the BJP's 'Jan Sabha' would be a boost to the party cadre in West Bengal," he added. This Monday, BJP West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh has announced plans to roll out five 'Parivartan Yatras' across West Bengal from February 6.
"Five 'yatras' have been decided till now. The last one will go from Kakdwip to Kolkata," Ghosh told after a meeting with members of the party's core committee at his residence in Delhi, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited for the conclusion of the last Rath Yatra.
He further said that permission had been sought for the rath yatras from the state government, and if denied, the party may go to court.
( With inputs from ANI )
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