BJP to move SC for 'rath yatra' permission in WB: Party's state prez

The West Bengal unit of the BJP on Sunday said the party will move the Supreme Court to seek permission for its proposed 'rath yatra' programme in the state.

The saffron party's ambitious roadshow in West Bengal had hit a roadblock again on Friday, with a division bench of the Calcutta High Court quashing a single bench order that had given a go-ahead to the event.

"We have decided to move the Supreme court. We have full faith in the judiciary, and will fight till the end. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government is trying to ensure that our 'rath yatra' programme doesn't take place," West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.

He said the party will knock the doors of the apex court "very soon" but did not elaborate on as to when.

The TMC government is trying to stop the BJP event on the basis of only assumptions that it might create problems, Ghosh said.

According to BJP sources, the party will for now organise rallies in various parts of the state against the government's decision to disallow the yatra.

After hearing an appeal by the BJP, a single-judge bench of the high court had on Thursday allowed the mega event, to be flagged off by the party's national president Amit Shah under a re-scheduled programme from December 28 to 31.

However, after Friday's order, there is uncertainty once again over the programme that was to cover all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Hearing a plea by the state government that there are apprehensions of communal unrest due to the roadshow, the division bench of Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar had on Friday asked the single judge bench to pass a fresh order.