Mamata Banerjee to lead ‘Religious Harmony Rally’ on Ram Mandir consecration day
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Chairperson and Chief Minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee initially labelled the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22 a “gimmick show” ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
However, on Tuesday, January 16, she declared her intention to lead an interfaith rally, which she has named ‘Sampriti Rally’ (‘Harmony Rally’), in Kolkata on the same day, during which she will visit places of worship affiliated with various religions.
It will start at Hazra Crossing, after an offering of prayers by her at the Kali Temple in Kalighat, and end at Park Circus Maidan, where she will hold a meeting.
“I will do a rally on January 22. It will begin from Kali Mandir, where only I will visit to offer prayers to Maa Kaali. Following that, we will hold an interfaith rally from Hazra to Park Circus Maidan and hold a meeting there. We will cover mosques, temples, churches and gurdwaras along the way. Everybody is welcome to join the rally. People of all faiths will be there at the rally,” Banerjee said at a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna.
At 3 pm the same day, Trinamool will hold similar rallies in every block of every district,..
Banerjee accused the BJP of “pointing fingers at others” when “everyone knows they are the biggest thieves”, adding, “It is not our job to do ‘Pran Pratistha’. It is the job of the priests. Our job is to create infrastructure.”
It is to be noted, though, that, according to the programme schedule, Lakshmikant Mathuranath Dixit, a priest and Vedic scholar from Varanasi, will lead a group of priests, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to perform the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ or consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya at 12.20 pm,
