Trinamool leader Madan Mitra plans ‘Ram Katha’: TMC anxious, BJP crows

KOLKATA: Trinamool leader Madan Mitra’s new-found love for Lord Ram is causing some anxiety in the party ranks.
Mitra is all set to organize a ‘Ram Katha’ on July 24 on his home turf Bhowanipore and has also resolved to erect statues of Ram and Sita alongside the idol of Devi Durga during Durga Puja.
More worrying for Trinamool, however, is the way Bengal BJP leaders are praising Mitra for “finally embracing” Lord Ram.
Mitra, however, is unperturbed. “I am not doing this as a Trinamool Congress leader. I am doing this as a citizen of my country. The preamble to the country’s Constitution speaks of secularism. They ( BJP) have reduced Ram to a commodity to pitch their sales for a comprehensive Hindutva agenda,” he told TOI.
“It is imperative for people to understand Lord Ram. Along with valour, Ram is also about values. I am a Hindu too. I do my pujas every day. But I have a problem when a party and its workers even orchestrate armed attacks in the name of Ram. Then something is wrong somewhere,” he added.
The ‘Ram Katha’ is his “small” effort to set the wrong right, said Mitra. “We will invite researchers, academics and people who know about this. It is important for all to understand the right and the wrong.”
According to supporters, Mitra, who has been sulking over Trinamool’s “indifference” towards him, has been trying to regain control over Bhowanipore, also chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s assembly constituency. He had invited actor Shakti Kapoor to inaugurate the Bhowanipore Rathayatra. The leader’s loyalists claim Mitra has Trinamool’s blessings as the party had trailed in the Bhowanipore Lok Sabha seat in the polls this year.
Mitra claims there is no politics behind his move. “The only party that does politics with Ram is BJP,” he said.
Trinamool leaders, however, are wary, given Mitra’s “I am at a crossroads” comment after he lost the Bhatpara assembly bypoll to BJP MP Arjun Singh’s son Sunil.
His repeated references to the Banerjee government refusing his parole plea 43 times — including one to cast his vote in the 2016 assembly polls in Kamarhati, which he lost by a slender margin — have only buttressed this anxiety.
Mitra, a former Bengal transport and sports minister, was in CBI custody for 22 months. He was questioned by Enforcement Directorate again last week.
BJP leaders added more fuel to the issue. Senior party leader Mukul Roy said: “This is a democratic country. And everyone has the right to pay obeisance to Lord Ram. We welcome this realization, the sooner the better.”
BJP leader Jay Prakash Majumdar echoed Roy. “Though late, it is nice if he finds solace in Ram.”
But Mitra isn’t keen to respond to the remarks. “I have been a disciple of Ram Thakur all my life. I start my day with Jai Ram. I do not need to listen to them. They are marketing Ram; we worship Ram.”