Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal, announced today that she will pay a visit to the Kalighat temple on January 22, the day of the Ayodhya Ram temple’s consecration.
“You people never stop asking me about other temples. Regarding it, I have nothing to say. Festivals are for everyone, I think; religion is a matter of personal choice. January 23 and January 26 are our holidays. We’re going to have a rally on January 22,” she said.
The Chief Minister said that she will perform a puja at Kalighat, one of the major pilgrimage sites in eastern India, and then attend a rally in support of her Trinamool Congress party.
Participants in the “Sarba Dharm (all religion) rally” will come from all walks of life, and along the way, they will visit mosques, churches, temples, and Gurudwaras.
The demonstration will conclude with a public gathering at Park Circus Maidan in south Kolkata.
According to Ms. Banerjee, Trinamool would also host block-by-block rallies with the subject “Sampriti (Affection)” on that day throughout Bengal. According to her party, there will be attendees at the event from all groups and religions since all religions are equal.
When questioned about the situation, she responded, “I think there should be a festival that brings people together and discusses everyone… Do as you like; you are pulling a practical joke before of the elections. I don’t mind, but it’s wrong to ignore members of other groups. For as long as I live, I will not permit prejudice towards Muslims and Hindus.”
Her rejection resulted in her being included on a BJP billboard among politicians who have declined to attend the consecration event, including Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi, Adhir Chowdhury, Sitaram Yechuri of the CPM, and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party. After accusing them of appeasement before, the BJP has now labelled them as “anti-Hindu”.
The BJP shared the image on X along with the remark, “Observe the expressions of the Sanatan opponents who turned down the invitation to the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha event.
