BJP convenes emergency meeting after HC refuses permission for 'rath yatra'

The Calcutta High Court refused permission to the BJP for holding the 'rath yatra' after the West Bengal government refused to allow the event saying it may cause communal tension

The BJP leadership on Friday convened an emergency meeting in West Bengal's Coochbehar to discuss the future course of action after uncertainty loomed over the party's Rath Yatra programme in Coochbehar.

The Calcutta High Court had on Thursday refused permission to the BJP for holding a 'Rath Yatra' in Coochbehar, which was to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah on Friday, after the West Bengal government refused to allow the event saying it may cause communal tension.

The BJP had decided to put on hold Shah's proposed rally and the Rath Yatra, saying it will wait for the final order from the high court, which will now hear an appeal by the saffron party at 12.30 pm.

The emergency meeting that started at around 10.30 am is being attended by BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, along with other senior party leaders such as Arvind Menon, Shiv Prakash, Dilip Ghosh and Mukul Roy.

A section of party leaders, who spoke to PTI on the condition of anonymity, said if the BJP fails to conduct the proposed Rath Yatra, it would send a wrong message to the rank and file of the party.

"We are waiting for the court's verdict. We have also called a meeting of party workers at 2 pm," said a senior state BJP leader.

Asked to comment on media reports that BJP chief Shah would not be coming for the yatra, the party's state president Dilip Ghosh said he was not aware of it.

Ghosh had earlier in the day said his party has full faith in the judiciary and hoped it would be able to kick-start its Rath Yatra campaign from Friday.

"Whenever we have wanted to take out a rally or conduct a political programme, the state government has tried to stop it either by denying us permission or tried to create procedural hurdles," he alleged.

Ghosh and other party leaders also offered puja at the Madan Mohan Mandir in Coochbehar.