In an apparent bid to draw maximum leverage from the January 22 inauguration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, the Bengal BJP has decided to launch a Ghar Ghar Yatra (reaching the households) from January 1.
The 15-day initiative is “aimed at making people aware of the long-cherished dream of the ancient Ram Temple becoming a reality,”Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari said, adding however that it had no political underpinning.
“Though some people are trying to give it a political angle which it is not … we are just trying to discharge a social duty by not only telling the people that we have achieved the dream but also invite the people in general to visit Ayodhya --- for which the central government has given more than 700 trains,” Adhikari said adding “Lord Rama runs in the veins of the Hindus all over the world.”
Comparing the inauguration of Ram Temple with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s initiative, the temple of Lord Jagannath at the beach town of Digha --- shaped after the ancient Jagannath Puri temple --- Adhikari said, “it is Mamata Banerjee who is playing politics with religion … while the Ram Mandir is being constructed with the funds donated by the Hindus all over the world, her Jagannath Temple is being funded by the State Government … she is doing so to show herself as a big Hindu which she is not … she is a fake Hindu who is leading a Government of thieves.”
Reacting to Adhikari’s statements Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that some self-seeking politicians were trying to hijack Lord Rama for their own narrow political gains and the people knew this anyway.
He said, “there is no problem if a few thousand people, mainly BJP workers, visit Ayodhya on tickets provided by their party … this will give a fillip to winter tourism … but when it comes to votes the BJP will lose once again as they had lost in 2021.”
Earlier Adhikari in a public meeting at East Midnapore launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister calling her a “thief” who had befooled people by promising them heaven but giving them a government laden with corruption.
Referring to the “guarantees” offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi he said, “if the people of Bengal strengthen the hands of Modi ji then the guarantees offered by him will soon start coming … like in Rajasthan, in Bengal too the people will start getting LPG for Rs 450 per cylinder.”
Slamming the Chief Minister for keeping lakhs of government posts vacant he said, “when I was in the TMC Mamata Banerjee once told me that for each government job you will have to spend Rs 25,000 and forthat we will get only four votes but if we give Rs 500 per person then we will get 5000 votes by spending the same Rs 25,000 … that day I realized that this is a fraud Chief Minister who is playing with the State’s future by intentionally keeping 6 lakh government posts vacant.”
