From announcing a holiday on the occasion of Ram Navami to donning the saffron and staging rallies a la the BJP down the streets of Bengal to chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans the TrinamoolCongress on Wednesday did everything that was required to do two days before the first round of general elections.
Two-time MP and TMC’s Ghatal candidate Deb was seen shouting Jai Jai Sri Ram slogans donning saffron attire and leading a massive saffron crowd. When asked whether he had lost faith in Mamata Banerjee’s alternative call of Jai Bangla, Deb who is also a Bengali superstar said, “Ram belongs to all and I will not have to take permission from anyone to celebrate the festival of my own God,” adding how Banerjee’s Government respected all religions. Earlier the Bengal Government had declared a holiday on Wednesday on the occasion of Ram Navami.
At Howrah Bengal minister Arup Roy, and TMC MP Prasun Banerjee too were seen competing --- rather leaving the BJP behind --- in celebrating the festival insofar as its din and bustle was concerned.
Cut to Jadavpur Sayoni Ghosh the Bangla actor and TMC candidate too jumped into the fray celebrating the Lord’s birthday with gusto even as her followers wearing saffron attires thronged the streets apparently making it difficult for the right-wingers to distinguish between the two.
At Suri in Birbhum too sitting outgoing TMC MP and candidate Shatabdi Roy hit the streets with her own clan of Ram Bhakts even as their screams of Jai Sri Ram filled the air.
Incidentally, Ram Navami had been one of minor festivals in Bengal with people celebrating it indoors save in the areas where the majority of residents are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Not to live far behind the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and other similar saffron groups took out long processions carrying weapons in many places. BJP men were seen dancing with swords andspears at Balurghat and Rampurhat where the BJP has fielded State party president Sukanta
Majumdar and just-retired IPS officer Debashis Dhar.
Senior saffron leader Dilip Ghosh and Suvendu Adhikari celebrated the festival leading long processions at Durgapur and New Town in Kolkata.
When asked to comment on the TMC’s taking part in the Ram Navami in a big way, Adhikari said, “there is a difference between a Bhakti (reverence) and Bhoy (fear) … what they are doing is out of fear.”
