Bengal BJP chief calls for President's rule in state as government stops Rath Yatra

The West Bengal BJP leadership on Sunday said the party would move the court against the state government's rejection of its application to hold a Rath Yatra here.

The saffron outfit was scheduled to hold the Ganatantra Bachao Yatra or rally to save democracy, in north Bengal's Cooch Behar, South 24 Parganas district's Gangasagar and Birbhum district's temple town of Tarapith but the state government on Saturday rejected its plea stating there was "grave apprehension of major breach of peace and communal violence during and in the aftermath" of the programme.

"We will shortly move court against the Bengal government's decision to stop the Rath Yatra. Our party will also hold demonstrations against the murder of democracy by the ruling party and shrinking of political space for the opposition parties in the state," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.

He also accused the Mamata Banerjee government of deliberately impeding the proposed rallies and called for President's rule in Bengal.

"The state government is deliberately stopping us from holding the Rath Yatras here. The government is claiming there can be communal tension and lapse in law and order situation in areas proposed to be covered by the yatra but they (the Government) have not mentioned the areas where problems might arise," he said.

"It seems that the state government is admitting to its failure in running the administration and maintaining law and order. The situation is such that imposition of Article 356 (President's rule) might be necessary," Ghosh added.

In an official communication to the BJP, the Bengal government on Saturday said intelligence reports claim that the "yatras" (rallies) would be turned into "communal propaganda" with the likely participation of "organisations with an overtly communal agenda" like the "RSS, VHP and the Bajrang Dal".

--IANS

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