BJP seeks permission from West Bengal government for rath yatra

The West Bengal BJP has sought permission from the State government for its month-long ‘rath yatra’ throughout the State forward of the Assembly polls.

BJP State vice-president Pratap Banerjee, in a letter to Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay, mentioned the saffron camp, starting February, intends to take out 5 rallies, as a part of the ‘rath yatra’, crisscrossing the complete State.

“West Bengal State Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to carry out a peaceful political programme throughout West Bengal in the form of ‘yatra’ in the months of February and March 2021. There will be five segments – covering all the Assembly constituencies of West Bengal. Each yatra will include a ‘rath’ and will run simultaneously in different segments/territories of the State,” the letter mentioned.

The period of every yatra could be of roughly 20 to 25 days, it said.

Several prime BJP leaders are scheduled to reach in West Bengal in the course of the month-long marketing campaign, set to take off from Nabadwip, Coochbehar, Kakdwip, Jhargram and Tarapith on February 6, 8 and 9. According to sources, the State secretariat has obtained the letter.

“The broader function of this communication is to appraise you concerning the gamut of the programme in order that administration could put together the modalities of related help system for peaceable conduct of the programme.

“We want to seek an appointment with you…” Ms. Banerjee mentioned in his letter to the Chief Secretary.

Earlier, in 2018, the BJP had deliberate an identical rath yatras throughout the State, however the programme was known as off on the final second because the State government refused to provide permission.