Mamata Banerjee accuses BJP of trying to surpass Gods with rath yatra

 The Bengal CM dubbed the tableaux as plush mobile hotels

Mamata Banerjee addresses the public meeting at Raiganj stadium on Wednesday.:(Kousik Sen)

Kousik Sen, Soumya De Sarkar   |   TT   |   Malda, Raiganj   |   11.02.21: Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday drew parallels of the chariots of Hindu gods with the “rath tableaux” used by the BJP for its Parivartan Yatra and accused the leaders of the saffron camp of trying to equal or surpass gods while dubbing raths plush mobile hotels.

In Bengal, the BJP has launched a statewide road show or rath yatra that intends to move through all 294 Assembly constituencies of the state. While the BJP yatra has already started in some parts of south Bengal, it will flag off in Cooch Behar on Thursday for north Bengal.

Mamata, who flew by chopper from Behrampore to Raiganj first and then Malda to address public meetings organised by Trinamul, launched a scathing attack at the BJP rath yatra.

“We have seen the famous rath of Puri... every year, I participate in the rath yatra organised by Iskcon and I have also read and heard about the rath of Arjun where Krishna was the charioteer in the Mahabharata. But the rath yatra that the BJP has been organising here is different. It is nothing but a plush mobile hotel where leaders are entertaining themselves,” Mamata told people at Raiganj stadium.

“We have huge respect for raths on which gods mount…. Does that mean we will have to venerate BJP leaders who are trying to place themselves equal to or above gods like Lord Jagannath? We have also read about the rath of Ravana in Ramayana which he used to abduct Sita.…. I want to know whether the BJP is running this rath of Ravana. In the name of religion, the party is indulging in sacrilegious activities,” Mamata said in Malda.

In both the public meetings, Mamata time and again referred to the tableaux of BJP and accused the saffron brigade of trying to play divisive politics in Bengal.

“They did nothing for Bengal and these days, “rathbabus” are coming here to mount chariots and deliver sermons to people. They are going around in raths, enjoying delicious cuisine on board. People of our state will never endorse such politics,” said Mamata.

Political observers said the BJP has been playing the polarisation card — especially in Malda and North Dinajpur with considerable minority population — to consolidate Hindu votes. Amid this backdrop, they said the chief minister’s demystification of the BJP rath as “mobile hotels with delicious cuisine” was a planned strategy to exert pressure on BJP in their own coin.