WB govt refuses permission for BJP’s Rath Yatra programme

Kolkata, Dec 17: The West Bengal government has refused permission for the BJP’s proposed Rath Yatra ahead of elections in 2019, citing intelligence reports of possible communal violence in areas where the party is planning to take out the yatra.

          In a letter to state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, the West Bengal government said it was unable to allow the Yatra as proposed by the party.

          A division bench of the Calcutta High Court had on December 7 directed the West Bengal chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP by December 12, and take a decision on the ‘rath yatra’ by December 14.

          Following the meeting between the two sides, state government officials had told the party that its decision will be conveyed to them by Saturday.

          Reacting to the development, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said the party would move a higher court against this decision of the Trinamool Congress government.

          The saffron party had proposed to take out three Rath Yatras in different parts of the state ahead of the Lok Sabha election.