KOLKATA, Jan 21: Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Sunday accused the Trinamool Congress of attempting to disrupt communal harmony in West Bengal by organising the ‘Sampriti Michil’ (harmony rally) on the day of the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
Ghosh said that peace-loving Hindus will not be influenced by TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s provocations.
Ghosh alleged that TMC and its predecessors have been responsible for disturbing peace and harmony in the state since 1946 by supporting anti-social elements and instigating riots.
He emphasised that true members of the Hindu and minority communities would not engage in violence or be swayed by the TMC’s attempts to manipulate amity for political gains.
Senior TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said more the BJP engages in temple politics, the more people will become aware of their deceitful plans, leading to a decline in their vote share.
TMC spokesperson Joy Prakash Majumdar said the party believes in the Constitution and pluralism and asserted that the rally aims to counter the BJP’s strategy of dividing society.
BJP targets opposition leaders
On the eve of consecration of Lord Ram’s idol in Ayodhya, the BJP on Sunday targeted a host of opposition leaders for their alleged insult of ‘Sanatan Dharma’ and demeaning references to the Ram temple.
The BJP posted various past comments of leaders like Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, Akhilesh Yadav of the SP, Mamata Banerjee of the TMC, Udhayanidhi Stalin of the DMK and Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP and asked people to identify these ‘adharmi’ (irreligious) people.
The Congress leaders had questioned the existence of Lord Ram, it said and also accused RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav of defaming Ram temple for vote bank.
Before the Ram temple construction, leaders like Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Kejriwal made statements questioning and mocking it. They are now resorting to deception, the BJP claimed in a series of posts on X.
They “hate” Ram, have opposed the Ram temple and insulted Sanatan dharma, the ruling party alleged.The BJP has long painted its rivals as anti-Hindu, while opposition leaders have accused the ruling party of using religion for political purposes and stoking communal divide.Though key opposition leaders have been invited to the consecration ceremony, most of them have decided to skip it, a development cited by the BJP as yet another example of their disrespect for Hindus’ feelings. (PTI)
