Uncertainty over BJP’s ‘rath yatra’ in WB

Shubhadeep Choudhury 

Tribune News Service 

Kolkata, December 7

Uncertainty continues to dog the fate of the proposed “rath yatra” by the BJP in West Bengal as the Calcutta High Court today tossed the ball in the court of the state government and asked it to discuss the issue with BJP leaders.

A division Bench of the High Court today asked West Bengal Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and the DGP to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP on or before December 12 and get acquainted with the party’s plans to conduct the three legs of the ‘rath yatra.’

The state government has been asked to take into consideration law and order and other aspects of the programme and get back by December 14 with a set of guidelines.

The BJP’s original programme announced earlier was to take out three “raths” (which were actually air-conditioned buses decorated as “raths” or chariots) from Cooch Behar, Kakdwip and Tarapith on December 7, 9 and 14 respectively and tour the entire state in a bid to drum up support for the party for next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

BJP president Amit Shah was supposed to flag off the “rath” from the Madan Mohan Temple at Cooch Behar today. Several high profile BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi were also supposed to come to address public meetings during the 40-day programme.

Despite repeatedly writing to the state government to grant the party permission to hold the programme, there was no response from the state government, prompting the BJP to knock the door of the HC.

But the HC single judge Bench, while taking cognisance of a state government report expressing apprehension about the “yatra” triggering off communal tension, fixed January 9 as the next date of hearing.