Union Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the third phase of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) rathyatra from Cooch Behar in north Bengal on Thursday. The BJP – trying to wrest power in the Assembly elections from the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal – is calling it the Paribartan Yatra.
Shah will also visit Bongaon of North 24 Parganas district, which is a spiritual centre of the Matua community in the state. The Matua community influence voting due to their presence in large percentage in several constituencies of the state. They are said to be the biggest potential beneficiaries of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Bengal, on which the BJP is banking with its promise of implementing the newly amended act.
Amit Shah, during his visit to Bengal, will go to the renowned Madan Mohan temple in Cooch Behar, and will flag off the Paribartan Yatra from the Rashmela grounds. The rathyatra in north Bengal is significant, where the BJP has performed well in the last Lok Sabha polls and where the Rajbanshi community has a considerable say in the elections.
The rath will continue its course till Malda, but Shah will not continue the entire journey. He will visit Thakurnagar, pay tribute at the Harichand Thakur temple. Harichand Thakur was a disciple of saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. There are thousands of followers of Harichand Thakur in West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Shah’s earlier visit to Bongaon was cancelled due to a blast in New Delhi. Local people were upset and have expressed their disappointment to BJP MP Shantanu Thakur. They are also upset about the CAA not yet being implemented. The Trinamool Congress’ stand on this is clear though: Mamata Banerjee has been saying that the BJP is misleading the Matuas with their promise of implementing the CAA, as it is unnecessary because they are already citizens. Shah’s visit to Bengal this time will primarily be focused on the Rajbangshis in north Bengal and the Matuas in south Bengal.
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