Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in West Bengal on Tuesday. From two rallies in Balurghat and Raiganj in North Bengal, he gave messages about Ram Navami. He said, "This year's Ram Navami is very important. Because this is the first time that Ram Navami is being celebrated when Ram Lalla is present in the grand temple of Ayodhya. I know that the TMC has always obstructed the celebration of Ram Navami as much as possible. There have been various conspiracies. But the truth won. Ram Navami will be celebrated tomorrow (Wednesday) with full vigor and devotion. ’’
Even before Modi's message, however, the West Bengal BJP was preparing for Ram Navami. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has started celebrating Ram Navami in the state on April 7. After the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, the Parishad has renamed the festival 'Ram Mahotsav' across the country. Even in the midst of elections, there is a program to celebrate that 'Mahotsav' for a fortnight across the country. But on Wednesday, the day of Ram Navami, it was seen that BJP candidates in all 42 seats of the West Benga made Ram Navami celebrations a part of the election campaign. Many believe that the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will become one of the voting issues for the BJP. It has been seen in the election campaign that, along with the abolition of Article 370 in Kashmir, the construction of the Ram temple is also claimed to be the 'achievement' of the Modi government.
The Suryatilak festival of Lord Ram is being celebrated in Ayodhya on Wednesday. It was also broadcast live. Modi was campaigning in Assam's Nalbari on Wednesday. In one of the pictures, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen watching the live broadcast of the Ayodhya event on a digital medium while sitting on a plane. By then, the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar had taken to the streets to celebrate Ram Navami. Various programs have been planned throughout the day in every Lok Sabha constituency. It was announced on Tuesday night that the candidates would join one program after another.
Dilip Ghosh was the most 'enthusiastic' among BJP leaders when it came to celebrating Ram Navami. The former state BJP president is contesting from the Burdwan-Durgapur seat. Instead of waiting till Ram Navami, he started on Tuesday and Ashtami. "Ram is the soul of India. His worship is daily. But the celebration of Ram Navami has a different significance. Since I can't go everywhere in one day, I divide it into two or three days. ’’
The West Bengal government has declared a public holiday on Ram Navami this year. The BJP is careful not to divide the "political benefits" of Ram Navami. However, the BJP is not holding any programme in the name of the party anywhere in the state. They are handling it from behind. There are names of some local religious organization or club everywhere in public. It is being said that BJP leaders are joining as Hindus and as patriots. Party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Shamik Bhattacharya echoed the sentiment. "Ram is India, and India is Ram. So Indian means he is a devotee of Ram. We don't have a political agenda. We don't do politics with Ram. But wherever there is a festival, we have a presence there. ’’
