Don't Try to 'Appropriate' Ram Navami: Mamata Banerjee tells BJP

Kolkata: With the BJP-RSS celebrating Ram Navami in a big way in West Bengal on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to 'appropriate' the festival and asked it not to mix religion with politics.

"The BJP should not describe Ram Navami as its own. The BJP has nothing to do with it. It should stop using religion (for politics). (During the Assembly election) In UP they sought 'Sabka Sath,' but in Bengal they are playing divisive politics," she said mounting an attack on the party.

"We work for the people of all castes, creed and religion," she said.

Banerjee also alleged that the BJP was using the 'Om' symbol in their political programmes.

"Who has given you (BJP) the right to use the Om symbol? Is it your party symbol? Religious leaders chant it. We all chant Om Namah Shivaya," she said at a public meeting here.

"The BJP is mixing politics with religion. They are conspiring to divide the nation ... Chant Om sitting at home.

Do not use it in your party programmes," she thundered.

If BJP wants to use 'Om' in their programmes, it should go to the Election Commission and have its party symbol changed, she said alleging that the BJP and CPI-M were hand-in-glove.

She took on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for reducing interest rates in small savings schemes and said it was "taking away everything" from the common man.

"You (BJP) have hiked the price of cooking gas and kerosene. Even demonetisation has affected people in such a manner that thousands have lost their jobs," she said.

Referring to the development projects undertaken by the state government, she said: "We are developing tourism infrastructure in Bankura including in Mukutmanipur and for the terracotta temples of Bishnupur."

"We have set up a university in Bankura. A super multi- speciality hospital is coming up at Barjora while investments worth Rs 11,000 crore were made in the district," Banerjee said adding the government will execute a new water supply project for eight more blocks of Bankura by August.