Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: Senior West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said around 1.5 crore Hindus will participate in numerous Ram Navami rallies across the state on April 6.
Speaking at a BJP Youth Morcha rally outside the state BJP office in central Kolkata, Adhikari urged Hindus to step out of their homes and join processions, chanting "Jai Shri Ram" to assert the prominence of Hindu identity.
"Not less than 1.5 crore Hindus will hit the roads on the holy day of Ram Navami. Please don’t sit idle at home. Show your might. Show that Hindus are united. This is the soil of Swami Vivekananda, Swami Ramakrishna and Maa Sarada. We will celebrate Ram Navami peacefully," he said.
Adhikari had previously estimated that 1 crore Hindus would participate in around 2,000 rallies, but revised the figure to 1.5 crore on Wednesday.
In a sharp dig at the CPI(M) for opposing Ram Navami rallies, he claimed, "The CPI(M) is not interested in protecting Hindu interests and identity; they are disconnected from ground realities." He further criticised the CPI(M) for organising a rally over the issue of Palestine while opposing Ram Navami celebrations.
"From securing zero seats in the last elections, the CPI(M) will soon vanish from Bengal's political landscape," he added.
Adhikari confidently predicted that "the votes of CPI(M) leaders' family members will go to the BJP in the 2026 Assembly elections. While party leaders may remain loyal to their ideology, their family members have no such compulsions."
Condemning West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for referring to the BJP as the "Bharatiya Jumla Party," Adhikari said, "She has not only insulted elected BJP representatives in the Assembly and Parliament from Bengal but also the 2.33 crore voters who supported the BJP in the last general elections."
Asked about the Waqf (Amendment) Bill tabled in Parliament, Adhikari alleged, "Many TMC leaders are occupying Waqf land against the wishes of ordinary Muslims. We stand with those ordinary Muslims who are facing persecution from TMC leaders." He also highlighted the support of Muslim women for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing his reformative steps aimed at their uplift.