Dilip Ghosh, West Bengal BJP president, revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be present for four rallies that will be organised by the party in December. This “rath yatra” is part of campaign for the ruling party at the Centre ahead of the General Elections 2019.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend four rallies in Bengal during our rath yatra campaign in the state. We have informed the party central leadership and the PMO. The final dates are yet to be fixed,” Ghosh was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The “rath yatra” (chariot march) rallies by the ruling party is slated to start from Coochbehar district in north on December 7, Gangasagar in south a couple of days later and Birbhum’s Tarapith temple on December 14.
The chariot march would traverse all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, where BJP has set itself a target of winning over 22 seats in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019. BJP president Amit Shah is also likely to attend the rallies on three dates.
According to Dilip Ghosh, all the four rallies in which the Prime Minister is likely to attend will include the one that will be held at the Brigade Parade ground. This would be the culmination of the three “rath yatras” in West Bengal
However, the ruling party in state Trinamool Congress said that theses “divisive politics” will not get any takers in West Bengal which is completely secular in nature. “The land of Bengal is a cradle of secularism and efforts of BJP to divide the people of the state on religious lines won’t work here,” the newly elected Mayor of Kolkata Frihad Hakim said while reacting to Ghosh.
The TMC and BJP are engaged in a bitter war of words since the time BJP took over the reins at the Centre.