The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought permission from West Bengal government about the grand chariot procession it has planned to take out across the state during the first and second week of December. Three chariot processions―one from north Bengal, one from the western part and the last one from down south―will merge to Kolkata where party President Amit Shah would make an address on December 11.
The state government is yet to respond to the application filed with the West Bengal police and Kolkata police respectively. The copies of prayer have been sent to the home secretary and chief secretary as well.
Bengal government sources said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to give permission for the grand rally of the BJP in December. But BJP's state president Dilip Ghosh threatened to bring out rallies even without permission.
“Trinamool Congress leaders have forgotten that in their childhood they also used to visit the Rath Yatra,” said Ghosh. “Bengali literature talks about Rath Yatra. But Trinamool Congress government is out to crush the same Rath Yatra being taken out by us.”
He further said, “If they give permission, everything is well. Otherwise, we know how to bring out the rally.”
Ghosh hinted that the BJP would move the Calcutta High Court in case permission is not given. In the past, too, it took out huge rallies in the state by getting the nod from the court.
BJP has also demanded renaming 25 places in Bengal that has colonial names.
“Those names are to be changed immediately. State government should take the initiative,” he said.
A senior BJP leader said such a demand would be part of the campaign of the party in the coming days in Bengal.
“We would like those places to be named after famous sons and daughters of Bengal,” said a senior BJP leader.
BJP sources have also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the assembly elections in five states, would sit with leaders from Bengal in Delhi to chalk out strategy for the state. It is also believed that Modi would hold a meeting with eminent citizens from different walks of lives in Bengal. He is also scheduled to meet some of the newspapers and media owners in the state in Delhi.
Asked whether it means that the prime minister would try to sit with intellectuals in Bengal, a senior leader said, “We don't to give bad names to them by calling them intellectuals. All eminent persons are intellectuals. We will try to talk to people who are impartial in their attitude.”
Bengal's political atmosphere is, thus, bound to be hot in the coming months.
