In a letter to Dilip Ghosh, the state government said it was unable to allow the yatra as proposed by the party. (File)West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said they would approach a single bench of the Calcutta High Court against the Mamata Banerjee-led government’s decision to refuse permission to the party for its proposed Rath Yatra across the state. Citing intelligence reports of possible communal violence in the areas concerned, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday denied permission for the yatra, which was initially scheduled to be kicked off by BJP chief Amit Shah on December 7.
“The doors of the court are open for us. We sat with them (Trinamool Congress) on the orders of the court but they said that they won’t let the yatra take place. So, we will appeal to the single bench of the Calcutta High Court,” Ghosh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
In a letter to Ghosh, the state government said it was unable to allow the yatra as proposed by the party. “Intelligence reports indicated that in several districts, organisations with overtly communal agenda, such as the RSS, the Bajrang Dal and the VHP, would actively join the yatra. There is a grave apprehension of major breach of peace… during and after the yatra”, the letter read.
“The areas proposed to be covered by the yatra are, because of publicity and propaganda, gradually turning into communally sensitive pockets. Intelligence reports indicate that public perception is that the religious overtones of the yatra will be turned into communal propaganda,” the letter added.
A large number of convoys in the yatra would create a chaotic situation and cause traffic disruption on arterial roads and highways, the government said. “Furthermore, during the period cited, major festivals and events are scheduled, and it required a heavy deployment of the resources of the government, including the police force,” the letter read.
As per the BJP’s proposal, there were plans to hold 158 meetings across West Bengal and cover various religious sites in three segments. The yatra was planned to span over 34 days.
The state government, however, said permission for any particular meeting would be decided solely by the district authorities on case-to-case basis. “Therefore, for each meeting proposed, the BJP may apply afresh before the relevant district authorities with all required details,” it said.
This is for the second time that the saffron party was denied permission by the government. On December 6, the party was not permitted to take out three rallies across the state. The BJP moved a division bench of the Calcutta High Court after a single-judge bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty also refused permission to the party to hold the yatra.
On December 7, the division bench had directed the West Bengal chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three BJP representatives by December 12 and take a decision on the ‘Rath Yatra’ by December 14.
