Amid BJP's 'anti-Hindu' tirade, Mamata to inaugurate Jagannath temple

The political compulsion in her messaging was not lost on anyone even as the BJP paid “tribute” to Murshidabad riot victims as 'Hindu Shaheed Diwas', accusing the chief minister and her government of being anti-Hindu.

Banerjee was uncharacteristically cautious to project her government as being "equi-close to all religions", at a time when the BJP’s Hindu-victimhood narrative is getting some traction in the wake of Murshidabad violence.

BJP appeals for Hindus to unite

The saffron brigade is moving ahead full-throttle to give momentum to the narrative, lining up a string of programmes to “unite Hindus” against the kind of “threat evinced in the Murshidabad riot”.

At the “Shaheed Diwas” programme in the state assembly complex, Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari appealed to the Hindus across the state to “unite, take a pledge to uproot this anti-Hindu government”.

“Hold candle-light rallies. It’s an existential battle for Hindus in West Bengal, they are under attack,” he said.

Also read: Murshidabad riots pre-planned, BSF, govt agencies involved: Mamata

The complex reverberated with slogans like “Hindus of the world, unite; Hindus of Bengal, unite”.

They also raised slogans demanding the resignation of the “anti-Hindu” chief minister, holding Mamata Banerjeee responsible for the brutal killing of Hargobinda Das and his son Chandan Das.

In the evening, the BJP also brought a group of Murshidabad victims at its Kolkata office so that they could narrate their ordeal before the media.

Earlier, the party accused Banerjee of harbouring a ‘bias’ for scheduling a meeting with Imams and not visiting riot-hit Murshidabad.

Also read: Murshidabad violence: Normalcy returning after Waqf Act protests

Balancing act

To deny the BJP any opportunity to further accuse her of favouritism, she tried a balancing act by scheduling the two meetings one after another.

A grand Jagannath temple, constructed by the state government, will be inaugurated by the chief minister at the coastal town of Digha on April 30. LED screens will be installed in all blocks to live stream the inaugural event, the chief minister announced at the preparatory meeting attended by several Hindu religious leaders on Wednesday evening.

The temple will be the TMC’s counter to the BJP’s Ram Mandir, a clear attempt to show that the state’s ruling party is equally aligned to Hindu interests.

The balancing act was evident even in her meeting with Imams and other representatives of the Muslim community at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

Hindu priests and Sikh representatives were also invited to the meeting, which the chief minister claimed was organised by the association of the Imams as Eid Milad, a post-Eid get together. But the current situation deemed it necessary to discuss the Waqf-issue, she added.

They were called on the stage at one point of her speech to stand beside her, in a show of religious unity and harmony.

Also read: TMC MP accuses BJP's Sukanta Majumdar of inciting communal riots in Bengal

Mamata calls for peace, harmony

In her around 30-minute address, she repeatedly emphasised the country’s age-old tradition of religious harmony, citing the preachings of Hindu saints Ramakrishan Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda.

Further, the Chief minister appealed to the imams and muezzins to send messages of peace and harmony from mosques.

"I am urging you with folded hands, if anyone wants to create unrest, control it. Don't let it happen. Please appeal for peace from religious places," Mamata told the Muslim religious leaders.

Terming the incidents in Murshidabad as pre-planned riots, she appealed to the minority community to understand BJP’s plot to dethrone her government.

“If the BJP comes to power, it will interfere even in your food habits. Did you not see how Bengalis in New Delhi are asked not to eat fish, meat,” she said, referring to a recent viral video that showed a member of a saffron outfit asking fish sellers in the national capital’s CR Park to shut down shops close to a temple.

Mamata slams Amit Shah

She asked the minority leaders to take their anti-Waqf Act protest to the national capital, mobilising people from all communities just as it was done during anti-NRC agitations.

Also read: Waqf Act violence in Bengal: Who gains from the chaos?

“We are also against Waqf Act. No purpose will be served by protesting here (in Bengal). Go to Delhi, seek appointment with prime minister and president. Hold protests in the national capital. I am assuring you that TMC MPs will attend it if you stage a protest in New Delhi. I will also urge members of the INDIA alliance to support your agitation,” she said.

Mamata, however, was quick to add that those who indulged in the recent violence will not be spared irrespective of whether they are Muslims or Hindus.

Another key point in her speech was her stringent attack on home minister Amit Shah, while steering clear of slandering Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I urge Modiji to prevent the home minister (Amit Shah) from using agencies to plot against us,” she said, alluding to the Murshidabad violence being a conspiracy hatched by the home ministry.

An inquiry will be conducted against the BSF, which is under the home ministry, for opening fire in which one person was killed, she said. She claimed to have received allegations from Murshidabad victims that some persons wearing clothes similar to BSF uniforms indulged in violence.

“What will happen to you after Modiji? You will never become prime minister,” she said. “Why were you in such a hurry to pass the bill? Are you not aware of the situation in Bangladesh?” she asked, referring to Shah.

“They (saffron brigade) even changed my surname for attending programmes of minorities. But, why don’t they change Narendra Modi’s surname to Narendra Islam for enjoying the hospitality of Islamic nations,” she blurted out. But she also immediately withdrew her words, saying “I am taking back my words on the prime minister.”