BJP approaches SC seeking permission to hold Rath Yatra in West Bengal
India | December 24, 2018 13:12 ISTThe BJP on Monday approached the Supreme Court against a Calcutta High Court order not allowing its Rath Yatra in West Bengal.
The BJP on Monday approached the Supreme Court against a Calcutta High Court order not allowing its Rath Yatra in West Bengal.
On Friday, the division bench of Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar quashed the single bench order and asked it hear the case afresh to consider intelligence inputs by the state agencies.
Earlier on Thursday, the high court had allowed the rath yatra saying the organisers will be liable for any untoward incident or damage to public property.
Earlier on Thursday, the high court allowed the rath yatras saying the organisers will be liable for any untoward incident or damage to public property.
According to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sources, party national president Amit Shah will flag off the three yatras.
Reacting to BJP's programme, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) said that the rallies were being held to ignite communal passions in the state before the Lok Sabha election.
The state government at the meeting was represented by Chief Secretary Malay De, Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya and Director-General of Police Virendra.
The 'rath yatra' was scheduled to cover all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
The West Bengal government had refused to allow the event over the possibility of communal tension.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had moved the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday, saying it was yet to be given permission for taking out three rallies in West Bengal, scheduled to begin from December 7.
BJP president Amit Shah is scheduled to kickstart the party's "Save Democracy Rally", comprising three "rath yatra", in the state.
The BJP has emerged as the biggest competition to the ruling TMC by outsmarting the CPI(M) and the Congress in several by-elections. Shah had set a target of winning 22 Lok Sabha seats out of 42 seats in the state.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the 'Sabarimala Samrakshana Yatra', former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa sought the immediate intervention of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to end tensions at the hill shrine.
First rath yatra will start from Tarapith on December 3, second rath yatra from Namkhana-Gangasagar would begin on December 5, and last one from Cooch Behar would start from December 7.
In Gujarat, the rath yatras typically involve public processions with chariots carrying deities Lord Jagannath (Lord Vishnu), Balbhadra, and Subhadra.
Stalin had written to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's government urging him not to allow Vishwa Hindu Parishad's rath yatra to enter the state borders as it could disrupt the communal harmony.
The yatra began in Uttar Pradesh on February 13, and is scheduled to end in Rameshwaram, a region in southern Tamil Nadu that features in the Hindu epic Ramayan.
"We want to keep the country's integrity intact not just for the welfare of the people of India, but for the welfare of the entire world," Rajnath Singh said.
The yatra is expected to be flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra, then started the journey from the 400-year-old Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area this morning.
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