‘Why Favour Muharram Over Durga Puja,’ Yogi Asks Mamata; Says Bengal Is ‘Also’ Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda

Following the denial of permission for his helicopter to land in West Bengal a few days back, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath yesterday (5 February 2019) travelled to Purulia by road from Jharkhand and delivered a fiery speech lambasting Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on a number of issues, reports Times of India.

Adityanath specifically tore into the TMC leadership for giving preferential treatment to Muharram and sidelining Durga Puja.

He began his address with the slogans, ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’, receiving loud cheers of approval from the gathering.

Adityanath recounted the contributions of the sons of the soil from Bengal such as spiritual leader and saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and his disciple Swami Vivekananda. He recalled how Swami Vivekananda had called upon Hindus throughout the world to call themselves Hindus with a sense of pride.

He also invoked the names of Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay who composed the nationalistic songs ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ respectively.

“In fact, West Bengal should be the land of the BJP because Jansangh ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee was from this soil,” Adityanath stated.

He also remarked that the TMC government of the state had banned the celebration of Durga Puja when it clashed with Muharram while the rest of the country celebrated the former. He gave the example of Uttar Pradesh where his government had made security arrangements for both the religious festivals to be conducted peacefully.

Adityanath also lashed out at Banerjee for attempting to shield a ‘corrupt’ police officer connected with the Saradha chit fund scam. “But after the Supreme Court’s order, she has taken a U-turn and is pledging cooperation to the CBI. Then why were you shielding the officer? Why were you sitting in his house when the CBI team went to interrogate him?” he questioned.

The UP Chief Minister finally concluded his speech by again saying ‘Jai Shri Ram’.