West Bengal Election: The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of attempting to scuttle the voice of the Opposition after a PIL was filed in the Calcutta High Court seeking a stay on its mass outreach programme ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. The BJP has planned five Rath Yatras through the state – the first is scheduled to be flagged off on Saturday by party president JP Nadda in Nabadwip. The BJP plans to cover 294 assembly constituencies through these Yatras. Home minister Amit Shah is also scheduled to flag off another yatra from Cooch Behar on February 11.

The PIL, filed by a lawyer of the Calcutta High Court, states that the BJP’s yatra would impact the COVID-19 and law and order situations in the state. The court has fixed the next hearing in the matter on February 9.

The BJP had earlier written to the state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay on February 1 informing about the ‘Rath Yatra’ so that the administration may prepare modalities of relevant support system for a peaceful conduct of the programme.

BJP leader Kailash Vijaywargiya said that the court hasn’t stayed the ‘Rath Yatra’ and therefore the district administration can’t stop it. He said that it’s BJP’s fundamental right as an opposition in the state to go among the people. The party alleged an attempt by the ruling TMC to stop the yatra, a claim which was refuted by the ruling party.

The TMC said that the government of West Bengal has not denied permission to any Yatra. It claimed that the saffron party is indulging in malicious propaganda with neither substance nor truth and asked the BJP to come up with material evidence to justify its allegation. The party further said that the BJP is playing the victim card.

The TMC further said that a BJP functionary had sought permission from the Chief Secretary who had directed them to local authorities for permission. The party said that a PIL has also been filed in the matter since and the matter is now sub-judice. It clarified that All India Trinamool Congress has nothing to do with the BJP’s Rath Yatra now.

It may be recalled that the court had in December 2018 denied permission to the BJP for a rath yatra.