SC verdict on 'rath yatras' not a setback: BJP

The West Bengal unit of the BJP on Tuesday said it did not take the Supreme Court verdict, putting on hold the party's proposed "rath yatra" programme in the state, as a setback, adding that it would decide on the future course of action after discussions with the party's central leadership.

The proposed "rath yatras" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls were put on hold on Tuesday by the Supreme Court, which asked the saffron party to seek a fresh approval from the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal by submitting a revised proposal.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh declined to accept the apex court verdict as a setback and said the party would take up other programmes to expose the "misrule" of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state.

"In politics, sometimes you taste success, sometimes you taste defeat. But there is nothing called a setback. We have other plans to reach out to the masses," he said.

Asked whether his party would come up with a new "rath yatra" schedule and seek permission from the state government in view of the Supreme Court verdict, Ghosh said, "We will take a call after discussions with our central leadership. But one thing is for sure that even if we submit a new plan, the state will again deny us permission. So, we have to act accordingly."