“Agar woh khoon ka barish (bloodbath) le aye…” Away from Ayodhya, Mamata Banerjee blows the bugle for 2024 battle with her ‘communal harmony’ rally on the day Ram Mandir was inaugurated

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ram Temple and performed the consecration ceremony on Monday, some 1000 km away from Ayodhya, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took out an all-faith rally in Kolkata with representatives from all religions to give out the message of communal harmony.

While PM Modi's speech from Ram mandir was about to end, Mamata Banerjee visited the iconic Kalighat temple, worshipped the deity of Goddess Kali, and then began her rally. Her next stop was a Gurdwara, then a Church, and finally a Mosque as she covered a distance of 5 km, with thousands of people rallying behind her.

“I have no problem with people worshipping Lord Ram or Shyam or Rahim. I have no problem with people celebrating a temple. But I have a problem when people tell me what to eat and how to live. I have a problem when I see unemployment skyrocketing in my country. I have a problem when India’s money is being smuggled outside the country. At times BJP calls me Mumtaz begum and at times they say I don’t work for the people. During the time of election, they want to tickle the religious senses. BJP is selling off humanity for the sake of politics”, said Trinamool Congress supremo after concluding her Yatra.

Without naming Assam, Mamata Banerjee has lashed out over the ban on the sale of meat and non-vegetarian food items till 4 pm on Monday owing to Ram mandir ‘Pran prathistan’. “If someone says if you don’t listen to me then I will set things on fire, then I say it is easy to set something ablaze but it is equally difficult to douse the fire. Agar koi khoon ka barish leke aye, tum himmat ka barish karna (if someone brings bloodbath then you combat that with bravery)…The country can’t be governed by divisive politics. When you are out of power, you will realize your sins. The truth will come out as to who took the money, where the money went, and how it reached BJP’s pockets”, she added as people erupted in thunderous ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan.

“My religion has not taught me to accept and embrace a place of worship…which has been built over hatred, violence, and the dead bodies of innocents,” said Abhishek Banerjee, TMC National general secretary on Sunday, confirming the party position vis-à-vis Monday’s Ram mandir inauguration. Endorsing that, Mamata Banerjee called out for public unity for a united fight against the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said celebrations can not make people forget the bloodbath of the past that has maimed people.

“I have no problem with you doing any puja but for the sake of politics stop playing with the blood of the poor and stop making a ‘prasad’ out of that. Hear this clearly, the battle has begun and I will fight the battle without any fear. He (PM Modi) has captured every media to propagate his man ki baat. They are selling you and feasting on that. This is a fight to stay united. Tell others, if you want to stay alive then don’t be scared of fighting this battle”, Mamata Banerjee concluded as she blew the bugle for the 2024 battle.