BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Credit: PTI File Photo
On Thursday, Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the state government is attempting to "disturb" a mass Bhagavad Gita-recitation programme scheduled to take place in Kolkata later this month.
Adhikari pointed out that a state teacher eligibility test, originally set for December 10, has been rescheduled to December 24. He mentioned that BJP MLAs raised this issue in the state assembly. The leader added that the proposed programme is for "Sanathan awakening," and Bengal is the land of saints.
He alleged, attributing comments to a party MLA, that the state chief minister is travelling to north Bengal, so the test has been shifted to December 24, the day when the Gita recitation programme is scheduled.
Adhikari stated that an invitation has been extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the organisers. Last month, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar also indicated that the prime minister is likely to attend the programme.
It is projected that around one lakh people will participate in the Bhagavad Gita recitation programme at Brigade Parade Ground, in the heart of the city.
"The question is about the need for transport for the one lakh people. This is to disturb the Gita recitation programme. Our MLAs protested," Adhikari said, addressing a press conference, cautioning that legal action could be considered if needed. "Mamataji, listen! The Gita-recitation will take place… Over one lakh devotees will congregate…," he said.
The BJP leader further claimed that by shifting the test to the concerned day, the government intends to "prove" that it is engaging in the politics of "appeasement." "This government will also meet fate… like it happened in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, in the future, for practising politics of appeasement," he added.
The BJP has also planned a symposium in north Bengal on November 12 to counter the ruling Trinamool Congress and highlight the "deprivation" of north Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, currently in the region, will also participate in several public programmes during her tour of the region.
Meanwhile, the comments of Union Minister Giriraj Singh concerning the state's chief minister have drawn strong criticism from Trinamool leaders and supporters. A section of supporters, representing the party’s women’s wing, staged a protest in south Kolkata on Thursday. “The very minister withholding rightful dues from 21 lakh MGNREGA workers in Bengal now makes appalling remarks about the country’s only female chief minister,” Trinamool stated on its official X-handle.