Mamata Banerjee is not turning the people of Bengal against the BJP but against Shri Ram

As the BJP continues to bat on the front foot in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee in her attempts to save her political fortunes in the state, ahead of the upcoming polls, has now resorted to making newer claims to attack BJP for using the chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’. However, her zest to attack the BJP will likely end up turning the people of Bengal against Bhagwan Ram through her insensitive comments.

During a recent rally in Jhargham, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee blurred the lines between attacking the BJP and influencing the people of the state against Bhagwan Ram. The embattled Chief Minister said, “Don’t vote for BJP otherwise, you won’t be able to follow your ‘dharma’. You will have to say ‘Jai Shree Ram’, you will not be able to say ‘Jai Siya Ram’. Lord Ram used to worship Maa Durga because she is much bigger in stature.”

It thus seems that Mamata allegedly wants to turn the people of Bengal not against the BJP but she is allegedly trying to turn them against Shri Ram as she sought to evoke a comparison between Bhagwan Ram and Maa Durga. In Hinduism, all gods are considered to be equal and cannot be compared and it is unlikely that Mamata Banerjee would not be aware of this fact.

However, this is not the first time that CM Mamata has politicised the chant of Bhagwan Ram. During the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, three individuals were detained in West Bengal for chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ as Mamata Banerjee was passing with her convoy. The video of the incident had surfaced which showed the Bengal CM stopping her convoy and confronting a few individuals who were chanting the name of Bhagwan Ram as she was moving from one political event in Kharagpur to another.

Bengal Police duly played at the whims and fancy of the TMC government and detained three individuals for chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ in Ghatal where the whole sequence of events unfolded.

Anyone following the West Bengal elections closely would know that Mamata and TMC are leaving no stone unturned to politicise the holy chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ Bengal has about 30% of the minority electorate who over the past few years have played a key role in electing the state’s Chief Minister. Despite the Left-INC-ISF alliance, Mamata and TMC seem confident enough bagging the most of the 30 per cent minority vote and would only require an additional 15 per cent vote to return for a third term as the state CM which perhaps explains her move to irk the Hindu community through such insensitive comments.