Several candidates of Trinamool Congress on Wednesday organised processions to observe Ram Navami in several parts of West Bengal.
At Howrah, Trinamool Lok Sabha candidate Prasun Banerjee organised a major procession on Ram Navami with a number of vehicles and said that everyone is welcome to celebrate the festival. Howrah had witnessed communal violence in 2023 during Ram Navami processions.
Trinamool Congress candidates from Birbhum Satabdi Roy, Jadavpur candidate Sayoni Ghosh and Ghatal Lok Sabha nominee Dipak Adhikari alias Deb all participated in Ram Navami processions in their respective constituencies. Mr. Adhikari, who is a well-known actor, also raised slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”.
BJP leaders including Suvendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghosh and Sukanata Majumdar also brought out a procession of Ram Navami during the day. There were marked similarities in the flags, colours symbols and even slogans used in the procession organised by the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.
The developments assume significance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday had said that Trinamool Congress was trying to stop Ram Navami procession in the State and organisers have to approach Courts to get necessary permissions. The Calcutta High Court has granted permission to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to hold processions in Howrah but has imposed certain restrictions.
Reacting to the Trinamool Congress’s Ram Navami procession, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said, “It is not out of devotion but out of fear,” Mr. Adhikari said.
There were also scenes of bonhomie cutting across political lines during Ram Navami processions in the State. At Islampur in north Bengal, a Ram Navami procession of BJP workers met the local Trinamool MLA Abdul Karim Chowdhury, who was campaigning for his party candidate and exchanged greetings. Meanwhile, there have been no reports of violence during these processions of Ram Navami procession till Wednesday evening.
Researcher and social activist Subha Pratim Roy Chowdhury, who has come up with a report on Ram Navami celebrations and related violence said that there was nothing unusual about Trinamool observing Ram Navami.
“This has been happening over the past few years. About 60 % of Ram Navami processions in the past few years had the backing of Trinamool Congress,” Mr. Roy Chowdhury, who is associated with an organisation AMRA Ek Sachenta Prayas.
He also welcomed the intervention of courts and said that it has imposed restrictions on the number of people participating in the processions.
