A delegation of the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday submitted letters to the state government, saying it is ready to join discussions over its proposed rath yatra. The Calcutta High Court had on Friday directed three representatives of the BJP to meet the state’s chief secretary, home secretary and the director general of police by December 12 to discuss the matter.
“We have said in the letters that the BJP is ready to join the discussion in an hour’s notice on any time within December 12 as directed by the Calcutta High Court,” party state vice president Jayprakash Majumdar told PTI. Majumdar and party leader Mukul Roy visited the state secretariat in Kolkata to hand over the letters to the officials the High Court had mentioned.
“The situation is that the state government is not capable of maintaining law and order,” Roy alleged after submitting the documents. “Also, there is no democracy in the state.”
The BJP had moved the High Court on Wednesday, claiming that the state government and the police had not responded to its applications seeking permission to hold the rallies scheduled to have started on Friday. The party had asked the court to direct the state to ensure that the “rath yatra” goes off smoothly.
The Mamata Banerjee-led government had told the High Court on Thursday that it refused permission for the proposed yatra as it could cause communal tension.
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