No restriction on Durga visarjan on Vijaya Dashami, BJP spreading lies, says Mamata Banerjee

Amid the ongoing row over Durga Puja visarjan in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday clarified that there was no restriction on the immersion of idols on the day of Vijaya Dashami.

"Let me make it amply clear what we told the puja organisers. There will be no immersion of idols only on Muharram, which is a day after Vijaya Dashami. There is no restriction on visarjan on Vijaya Dashami. We have only sought four hours on that day so that there is a gap between process of visarjan (immersion of idols) getting over and the other community performing their rituals", Banerjee clarified.

"It is unfortunate that some sections of people are intentionally spreading misinformation. It's been said that Kolkata Police is not efficient enough like its Mumbai counterparts. Let me tell them, nowhere is Durga Puja celebrated on a larger scale than in West Bengal . Will Mumbai Police be able to control the crowd if Ganpati visarjan and Muharram fall on the same day", she added.

Accusing rival BJP of trying to fan communal tensions in the state, Banerjee said, "BJP is indulging in malicious campaigns. They have always been in the habit of making hate speeches and false propaganda. They are saying people should come out with weapons on Vijaya Dashami."

NOT INDULGING IN MINORITY APPEASEMENT: MAMATA

"This is not appeasement. Bengal has 30 per cent minority population. It is what we have inherited since independence. It is not our invention", Banerjee reacted sharply to the BJP's allegation that the state government was pandering to the Muslim community, highlighting the demographic reality of the state.

"Lies and canards are being spread. Bengal is the cultural capital of India and Durga Puja is our biggest festival. Will they decide how people should worship? I have heard restrictions are placed on consumption of meat in Mumbai on certain days, but we don't do such things in Bengal. We believe in accommodating all communities. Some people are indulging in dirty politics in the name of Durga Maa", she lashed out.

"Who do they intend to kill with their weapons rally on Vijaya Dashami, the Trinamool Congress supremo asked, with the BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad announcing their plans to carry out a rally with weapons on Vijaya Dashami.

During a meeting with Durga Puja organisers in Kolkata on August 23, Banerjee had announced that immersion of idols would have to end by 6 pm on Vijaya Dashami as Muharram processions would be taken out later that day.

'MUHARRAM, DURGA IDOLS' IMMERSION CAN'T HAPPEN TOGETHER'

"If both happen together at the same time, there may be problems. I am seeking your cooperation on this. Some people will try to bank on this opportunity and make all kinds of provocative statements using Hindus and Muslims as tools", she had requested the organisers.

In a similar move last year, the West Bengal government had issued restrictions on immersion of idols, with Vijaya Dashami being celebrated just a day ahead of Muharram on October 13. However, the government's decision was rebuked by the Calcutta High Court, terming it "arbitrary" and a "clear endeavour" by the state to "appease the minority sections of the public".

A single-judge bench headed by Justice Dipankar Dutta in its October 6, 2016 observation had stated that no decision should be taken that pits "one community against another".

"To put it straight, the state government has been irresponsibly brazen in its conduct of being partial to one community, thereby infringing upon the fundamental rights of people worshiping Maa Durga", the court observed, highlighting that such restrictions had never been placed on immersion of Durga idols during Vijaya Dashami on earlier occasions in Bengal.

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