At all-faith rally, Mamata takes aim at BJP for ‘politicising religious worship’

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 leadingan 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 <a href=«https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial?ref_src=» https: class="" rel=«nofollow, noopener» target="_blank">@MamataOfficial

commences her ‘Sampriti Rally’ in Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/nFat9OPMqH

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) <a href=«https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/1749371170942763316?ref_src=» https: class="" rel=«nofollow, noopener» target="_blank">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