West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday targeted the BJP for attempting to politicise religion ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and asked if the party was “anti-women” for “omitting” Goddess Sita from the discourse on Lord Ram, whose temple was inaugurated in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, earlier in the day. Mamata made the comments at a public rally after leading an all-faith “Sanhati Yatra” in Kolkata.

“I am not against Ram. I respect Ram and Sita but they don’t take the name of Sita. So, are you anti-women? Do not forget, she is Sita who accompanied Ram during his 14 years of exile. Had there been no Kaushalya, Ram wouldn’t have been born … I don’t mind if someone worships Ram and someone worships Rahim. But I have an objection if someone politicises it.”

VIDEO | West Bengal CM @MamataOfficial commences her ‘Sampriti Rally’ in Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/nFat9OPMqH

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 22, 2024

The CM said, “I do not agree with their (BJP) priority when crores of people are unemployed in the country and so many people die every day; in a country where some people are trying to dictate what I will wear or eat, I cannot agree with them.”

Mamata said it was easier to stoke fire than to douse it and remembered the riots that were triggered by the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, and the lives lost in subsequent riots. “I was on the streets then. I went to Jyoti Basu (CPM leader and the CM at the time). Park Circus was burning, Metiabruz was burning, and Watgunj was burning. So many people died. People died in other states too. Today’s generation does not know this. They should. We pay respect to those who died and we call them ‘shaheed’ and martyrs … Tum khun baarish le aayenge, toh hum himmat ka baarish le aayenge (If you bring forth a rain of blood, we will bring the rain of courage).”

She said, “The BJP tries to divide the Hindu vote and they have created some middlemen who are also trying to divide the Muslim vote here. I never did that. When the NRC (proposed National Register of Citizens) came, I fought against that. No one fought like I did. We stopped NRC here.”

The TMC chief, accompanied by the leaders of various faiths and her party leaders, started the yatra from Hazra More in Kolkata and it concluded at Park Circus crossing. During the yatra, she visited a temple, masjid, gurdwara, and church along the way. In her speech, Mamata referred to her nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee’s post on X the day before in which he wrote, “My RELIGION has not taught me to accept and embrace a place of worship, whether it be a MANDIR, MASJID, CHURCH or GURUDWARA, which has been built over HATRED, VIOLENCE and the dead bodies of innocents. Period!”

The CM on Monday said, “Do you remember when the Babri Masjid incident happened, so many people lost their lives? Yesterday, Abhishek wrote that I can’t stand where so many people died and celebrate. No matter what religion the people belong to, we pay tribute to them.”

Among those who walked with the CM were Nakhoda Masjid Imam Mohammed Shafique Qasmi, Revered Paritosh Canning, and Buddhist religious leader Arunjyoti Bhikkhu. Referring to these leaders, Mamata said, “To all the dharma gurus who walked with me today, I share my gratitude with all. All the religious places that I came across on my way, paid my tribute to all of them. I want to show my respect to all the people of Bengal because all of you are cultured and educated people. Today, the people of Bengal have to take up a big responsibility. Will the people of this country survive or will someone, before the elections, come and sell the entire country and go?”

In his speech, Abhishek Banerjee said, “Koi kehta hain Hindu khatre me hain. Koi kehta hain Musalmaan khatre me hain. Main kehta hoon ki dharam ka chashma hata ke dekho, poora Hindustan khatre me hain (Some say Hindus are in danger. Some say Muslims are in danger. I say, remove the spectacles of religion and you will see that the entire country is in danger).”