State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the BJP and reaffirmed her steadfast support to all religions at a public meeting at Bankura district. Significantly, she announced no official action against groups of people who carried swords, the trident (trishul) and lathis, as they paraded the streets, chanting ‘Jai Sri Ram’. This was on Ram Navami day, April 5.

CPI(M) state secretary Dr Suryakanta Mishra, wondered how the state administration had allowed such “armed” processions on the streets. He wanted strong action against the organisers.

The very next day, Ms Banerjee announced that the police would act against the organisers including Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, (who carried a sword himself ) heading a procession. The police would initiate suo motu action in several districts against BJP and RSS leaders for displaying illegal arms in public without permission. Non-bailable charges would be framed against them.

Ms Banerjee is currently under considerable pressure from the centre and the BJP central leadership over the proposed Delhi visit of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed. She would have a hard time explaining her opposition to the proposed Teesta water sharing arrangements between Bangladesh and India.

There are strong suggestions that if Ms Banerjee continues to play hardball on the issue, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who accords top priority to improving relations with Bangladesh, may decide to conclude an accord without her on board, if necessary. There is no constitutional bar to this line of action. But within the country’s federal structure, the Centre would take all steps to carry the Bengal government along in the proposed deal on the Teesta water sharing issue.

The best that Ms Banerjee can hope for is(a) to win some kind of relief for the economy of North Bengal, (b),secure major help from the Centre on the state’s internal debt restructuring, amounting to Rs 3,20,000 crore, or(c)some ‘adjustments’ in the CBI-probed Sarada chit fund and Narada bribery scams.

With such sensitive issues to be discussed confidentially between the BJP and the TMC, presumably Ms Banerjee did not react too strongly against the Ram Navami celebrations. Her later announcement about police action to be taken was to avoid being upstaged by the Left on a sensitive issue, according to observers. Both the TMC and the Left, incidentally, accuse each other of being in cahoots with the BJP in private, regardless of their vehement opposition in public.

Ms Banerjee says, ’There are people who are CPI(M) during the day, but turn BJP at night. Both are anti-people parties.’ Dr Mishra countered this,’ If the BJP worships lord Rama, the TMC supports it by worshipping Hanumanji! Need I say any more?’

However, contrasting reactions from TMC district units and supporters made it clear that the BJP/RSS-backed programmes had left them confused. Both the BJP and the RSS deny direct sponsorship, claiming that a ‘few local organisations had conducted the Ram Navami proogrammes, winning spontaneous support of local people in many areas’.

The TMC, like the BJP, was testing the waters. While Ms Banerjee had given strict orders to the police to see that there were no flare-ups of violence, she gave no instructions to TMC leaders at the political level.

The outcome was both intriguing and puzzling. In Howrah district, prominent TMC leader Lakshmi Shukla and his followers joined the ‘Jai Sri Ram’ chanting pro-BJP crowds, shouting the same slogans. ‘Sri Ram is worshipped universally, so there is no problem,’ said a TMC leader.

At Midnapore, Pradip Ghosh, a prominent TMC civic body leader, joined BJP president Ghosh’s procession. At Asansol, TMC Mayor Jitendra Tewari himself carried a sword as he headed a procession carrying TMC banners. ‘Swords are carried to welcome and respect people’, was his interesting explanation on Ram Navami day.

State BJP leaders wondered, if Mr Ghosh could be arrested, whether Mr Tewari or Mr Pradip Ghosh would also be punished.

At Birbhum, TMC leader Anubrata Mondal proved to be more inventive. He organised special worshipping by TMC men at all Hanuman temples, big or small. His argument: ‘Lord Hanuman is accepted by all, no reason why we cannot offer our respects.’ However, there were no TMC-sponsored Hanuman pujas in 2016.

And at Bankura, Ms Banerjee herself emphasised the Hindu religious narrative. ‘Since when the BJP has started claiming Ram Navami, the Om sign and related matters as its own? We have always celebrated the Annapurna puja on Ram Navami day. I perform all pujas as well as the namaz. The idea is to unite people, not divide them’, she said. She drove home her point by reciting some Sanskrit shlokas extempore.

BJP President Ghosh chortled, ‘The fact that our Chief Minister is now parading her Hindu identity and reciting shlokas point to the success of our programme. As for having me arrested, I challenge her administration to do so. They will face the consequences.’

Police officials found themselves in a quandary. On Ram Navami day, mediapersons asked city police bosses as to whether carrying arms by a procession could be allowed under the law. A Commissioner said, ‘We kept a close watch, but took no action because religious issues were involved.’ Within hours, their tune changed, after the Chief Minister promised administrative action. ’We are registering suo motu cases and the law will take its course,’ he said .

In sum, the TMC went on overdrive to emphasize its Hindu credentials, leaving leaders and TMC supporters among the Muslims somewhat confused. Significantly, there was no comment from prominent TMC Muslim leaders and Ministers like Firhad Hakim ,Javed Khan, Abdur Rezzak Mollah ,and Idris Ali. (IPA Service)