Bengal Assembly elections 2026 | BJP raises Hindutva pitch on Ram Navami, TMC responds with harmony message

Kolkata: Suvendu Adhikari led a procession in Bhabanipur in Kolkata as a large number of the supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party joined him, waving saffron flags emblazoned with murals of Lord Rama. Dilip Ghosh, himself, rode a bike at Debra in Paschim Medinipur, with the BJP workers on two-wheelers raising the “Jai Sri Ram” slogan.

The BJP and other offshoots of the Sangh Parivar on Thursday raised the Hindutva pitch in West Bengal, with grandiose celebrations of Ram Navami across the poll-bound state. To lend credence to its allegation that the Trinamool Congress government is pursuing a policy of appeasing the Muslims but ignoring the interests of the Hindus, the saffron party also claimed that its student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), had been denied permission to celebrate Ram Navami inside the Calcutta University campus.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, early on the day took to X to convey her greetings to all on the occasion of Ram Navami and wished the celebration on the occasion all success. “I appeal to all to maintain and uphold the values of peace, prosperity and development of all,” added the TMC supremo.

Kunal Ghosh, the TMC candidate in Beleghata in Kolkata, joined a Ram Navami celebration, organised by Mohammed Majid, along with other Hindu and Muslim community leaders. “We just celebrated Eid together a few days back, and now Majid and his friends organised the Ram Navami. This is Bengal, this is the tradition of Bengal,” said Ghosh, quoting Mamata Banerjee as saying: “Dharma Jar Jar, Utsav Sabar (people may have different faith, but festivals are for everyone).

The ruling TMC was not ready to let the saffron party have a field day on the occasion of Ram Navami and deployed its leaders and workers to take out processions in several places.

Ujjwal Chatterjee, the TMC candidate in Suri, led a rally on the occasion of Ram Navami.

“I offer my prayers at the feet of Lord Shri Ram, hoping that West Bengal embraces the ideals of Ram Rajya — good governance, justice, and peace,” Adhikari, the de facto chief ministerial candidate of the BJP in West Bengal, said, after leading the rally in Bhabanipur, where he would take on Mamata in the polling, scheduled on April 29. “The warmth, enthusiasm, and blessings of the people lining both sides of the streets of Bhabanipur served as a great source of strength and inspiration”.

The saffron procession led by Adhikari in Bhabanipur on Thursday had a replica of the Ram Mandir of Ayodhya on a vehicle.

“India is the land of Dharma. We worship Lord Rama and celebrate Ram Navami with full devotion,” Ghosh, the former state BJP chief and the party’s candidate in Kharagpur Sadar, said, after leading the bike rally in Debra.

Piyush Kanodia, the BJP’s candidate in New Town Rajarhat, also led a rally on the occasion. He alleged that the police had sought to stop “Shashtra Puja” (weapon worship), which, according to him, was an integral part of the Ram Navami celebration. Kanodia and the other BJP leaders had a brief altercation with the police officials after a worker of the saffron party, who was carrying a sword, was stopped by the cops. The swords and other weapons were seen being brandished in the Ram Navami processions across the state.

As Ram Navami celebrations had triggered violent incidents in West Bengal in the past, the police stepped up security across the state to ensure no such incident could take place ahead of the elections this year.

“There are 2 West Bengals under the regime of @aitcofficial. Hindus need protection on Ram Navami, while Muslims roam freely and flout traffic rules on Eid,” the BJP’s West Bengal unit posted on X.

Calcutta University in 2026: Eid celebrations allowed, Ram Navami prevented. The message is clear: Hindu students have no freedom to practice their religion, but Muslim students do. The end of appeasement is near. May the 4th is not far,” the saffron party added in another post.

The ABVP supporters observed Ram Navami in front of the gate of Calcutta University, allegedly after being denied permission to do it on the campus.