West Bengal’s annual Rath Yatra festival has become the latest flashpoint in the state’s deepening political divide, as Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on the ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC) government, accusing it of religious discrimination and political interference in long-standing Hindu traditions.
Speaking at a Press conference on Thursday, Adhikari alleged that state authorities had attempted to halt centuries-old Rath Yatra processions in Jamalpur (Malda district) and Uluberia (Howrah district), citing administrative restrictions. According to Adhikari, the two chariot festivals – which celebrate the journey of Lord Jagannath – are among the most historically significant in Bengal, with the Jamalpur event dating back over 600 years. “This is not mere bureaucratic decision-making,” he said. “This is political appeasement of a particular community. We will not allow such divisive, dirty politics in West Bengal.” Adhikari warned that the BJP would defy any government orders to halt the processions. “These Rath Yatras will roll out regardless of police interference. If needed, we will go to court. If they try to stop them by force, we will stand beside the devotees,” he declared.
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The controversy comes amid claims that the police had allegedly altered the traditional return routes of the chariots during the Ulto Rath Yatra – the day the deity returns from his aunt’s house – to avoid overlapping with another religious gathering of a minority community. Adhikari dismissed the route change as “a conspiracy” and called on organisers to stick to the original path, asserting that more than 700 such chariot festivals are held across Bengal each year and should not be tampered with.
In a symbolic move, BJP workers are reportedly collecting mahaprasad (sanctified food offerings) from the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, and distributing it across both northern and southern Bengal. “We will ensure that at least half a million people receive this sacred prasad,” Adhikari said, adding that delivery would also reach Siliguri and Jalpaiguri till 9 July. The opposition leader also alleged that in South 24-Parganas’ Magrahat area, a Hindu youth was assaulted for protesting against the distribution of Rath Yatra prasad by a non-Hindu. The youth was hospitalised and, according to Adhikari, his uncle was arrested. “No non-Hindu will be allowed to touch the chariot ropes,” he stated. “This is how it’s done in Puri, and West Bengal must follow the same tradition.”
He further criticised the Rath Yatra festivities in Digha, calling them “entertainment-oriented” and alleging irregularities in the construction of temple premises by a state-run housing agency, HIDCO, outside its designated jurisdiction in Rajarhat. However, senior TMC leaders have previously accused the BJP of politicising religious festivals and attempting to inflame communal sentiments for electoral gain.