The unprecedented show of unity displayed by the Hindus in West Bengal has disturbed the pseudo-seculars. Ruling TMC tried to organise similar processions at some places, while the Congress & other parties have started eying at it as a vote bank
Basudeb Paul
No political Pandit had realised that the saffron avalanche having begun from Uttar Pradesh will hit West Bengal too soon. The huge turn out of local Hindus to Shri Ramnavami processions all over West Bengal on April 5 stunned the entire pseudo-secular gang.
How such a large number of Hindus are in the streets to show their strength disturbed even the State Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee. That is why she is trying now her level best to prove herself a devoted Hindu. Even at her political meetings, she now recites Chandi shlokas.
Interestingly, more people than those who were seen in the streets during the processions were active in the social media. Forget Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, lakhs of people are active on WhatsApp alone sharing text, photos and videos of the procession.
Shri Ramnavami procession is being held in Ishlampur for the last five years under the guidance of local Vishwa Hindu Parishad unit. The largest circulated newspaper of the state, Amrita Bazaar Patrika had
written in 2015 that 75,000 people joined the procession in Islampur alone. At that time cabinet colleague of Mamata Bannerjee, Abdul Karim Choudhary, had welcomed the
procession outside his office. This year Shri Chuadhary lost the Assembly election. Now the MLA from the areas is Shri Kanhailal Agrawal from Congress. Later he joined the TMC. This year he welcomed the procession.
This year the number of participants in the procession was estimated more than three lakh. It is to be noted that Islampur is merely a sub division town. It has a municipality of 17 wards. The overall population of the city is about two lakh. This town is close to Bangladesh border and over 70 per cent of the total population is Muslims. The Muslim population in North Dinajpur district also is about 52 per cent. The popular Chicken Neck is also in this region only.
The procession began from State Farm Colony, situated outside the city, by performing puja of Shri Ram’s idol, made of soil, at 10.45 am. It is near
the National Highway 31. As the
procession began, people from the
surrounding areas started joining the procession in groups. Whatever vehicles they got, they took and joined the procession.
By 11.15 am the National Highway was fully packed with Shri Ram devotees. The procession was to
culminate at a place which was about 8 km away from the origination point. Lakhs of people including women
carrying small kids in their laps and also youth joined the procession. Different organisations joined the
procession with their banners. Arrangements for drinking water had been made at different places. Every participant was carrying a saffron flag, saffron scarf or anything else. It took about 3.5 hours to cross just one point. Everybody was joining the shouting
of slogan “Jai Shri Ram”. The skyrocketing slogans shouted through loudspeaker energised the devotees. An 85 year old man said he had never seen such a huge procession in his life.
The procession reached Junior High School ground at 5.00 pm and culminated into a meeting, which was addressed by former RSS Kshetra Pracharak Shri Ramapad Pal. Sampark Pramukh of both Bengals—Uttar and Dakshin, Shri Govind Ghosh also addressed the gathering. Uttar Prant Pracharak Shri Jaldhar Mahato and VHP Prant organising secretary Dr Gautam Sarkar were also present.
There are reports of similar impressive processions from Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Dinhata, Mathabhanga, Alipurduar, Kanaki, Suryapur, Raiganj, Balurghat, Buniyadpur, Kaliaganj, Jalpaiguri, Dalkhola, Jaigaon, Hasimara, etc. The minimum number of participants in these
processions was more than 5000. The processions were taken out in Malda and Naxalbari on April 8 and 9.
In Dakshin Bengal, impressive
processions were taken out in Kolkata’s Bhavanipur, Burra Bazaar, Leketown, central Kolkata, northern Kolkata, Howrah, Purulia, Medinipur, Haldia, Tamchuk, Suri, Vochpur, Rampurahat, Tamlipt, Keni, Dimond Harbour, Chunchura, Panduya, Asonsole, etc. BJP state president Shri Dilip Ghosh joined the procession in Khadagpur. Kharagpur Municipality Chairman also joined the procession.
The huge gathering of the people turned to the processions disturbed the ruling TMC so much that they too tried to organise Shri Ramnavami procession at some places. Now as the people are coming out form their houses to display their Hindu identity, different non-BJP political parties have also started eying at them as a vote bank.
It is now clear that Mamata Bannerjee is not serious and she is just again trying to befool the people of the state by showing her devotion during Shri Ramnavami. It was evident on April 11 when the administration denied permission for Hanuman Jayanti procession in Birbhum. When the people tried to take out the process, the Police lathicharged the devotees. However, fearing backlash she, in a tweet, wished the people of the state Happy Hanuman Jayanti.
As per the organisers of the Hanuman Jayanti procession, they had approached the district authorities and police seeking permission to take out a procession to mark the occasion but were repeatedly denied the same. Left with no option, they took out a
peaceful procession, only to be
lathi-charged by the police. In first week of April, the Calcutta High Court had to step in to ensure that a group of residents in Kolkata was given
permission to perform Ram Navami puja. The court had asked the Trinamool Congress-run South Dum Dum Municipality to grant permission immediately. The court had also expressed displeasure at the civic body’s failure to act on the group’s plea pending for several days. Organisers Lake Town Ram Navami Puja Committee had moved the High Court seeking direction to the Municipal Body to grant necessary permission, stating that its request had not been granted since it was made on March 22. n
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