The BJP on Thursday claimed “moral victory” after the Calcutta High Court lifted Bengal Government’s ban on its rath yatras.
The yatras will now take place in three legs on December 22, 24 and 26 with BJP president Amit Shah inaugurating each of the three yatras from Coochbehar, Kakdwip and Birbhum.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address rallies in the midst of the yatras that would converge and culminate at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.
Though the court order tended to come as a shot in the arm of the saffron outfit, experts wonder why the State administration, regardless of its apprehensions of communal tension in the yatra trails, did not “even make an endeavour that the rally can be allowed by imposing reasonable restrictions.”
The court said, “When the yatras are not for any unlawful purpose, it cannot be completely stopped unless there is any breach of law. The restrictions should be just and reasonable.”
When the State cited intelligence reports apprehending communal tension, the court said, “The threat to public peace and tranquility should be real instead of imaginary.”
The judge also wondered as to why it took the Government two months to prepare intelligence reports — preferring all this while to look right through the letters being sent to it by the outfit seeking permission for the yatras — when the BJP had sent its first letter on October 6.
The initial celebrations in the saffron quarters apart, the BJP leadership also had to come out vouching for a peaceful yatra as the court made it liable alongside the Government for any material loss.
“We give a public undertaking that the yatras will be peaceful and there will be no disturbance and communal tension that the Government has repeatedly tried to impress upon the judiciary,” said Jayprakash Majumdar, a leader of the Bengal unit of the BJP.
Earlier the State Government had, following a court ordered meeting with the BJP leaders on December 16, denied permission to the BJP rath yatras. However, the Mamata Banerjee Government had no objection to rallies by Shah and Modi.
Apart from apprehending communal tension the Government had also submitted before the Court that the scale of the Yatra was so huge that it would be impossible for it to make adequate security bandobast.
Senior counsel SK Kapoor representing the BJP however countered saying even the in the worst days of the British Raj when Mahatma Gandhi took out Dandi March none stopped him.
Even as the BJP leaders rejoiced its “moral victory” saying the very court order was an example showing how the Government was throttling democracy in Bengal “which is why we were forced to take out this Save Democracy Yatra.”
Congratulating the Bengal BJP post Court verdict Union Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted, “Had the NDA Government stopped any Opposition pogramme it would have been called an ‘undeclared emergency’,” wondering why human rights activists were silent on denial of a right to a political party to organise its programme.
BJP leader Kailash Vijaybargiya welcomed the verdict saying “this decision is a slap on the face of tyranny. We haven’t decided anything but I can assure that PM (Narendra Modi) and the party chief (Amit Shah) will join the yatra.”
Union Minister Babul Supryio said, “This verdict is a victory against Mamata’s dirty politics.”
Bengal Minister and senior TMC leader Partho Chatterjee however said the Government would go through the order before considering any further action.