The old formula that has strengthened the BJP across the country, will it be effective against Mamta in Bengal?

There has been political outrage in West Bengal on the BJP's Parivartan Yatra starting today. The state administration has not yet allowed it. The BJP has an old formula of yatras to strengthen its political ground and reach out to the public, which benefits it, but there have been controversies and political clashes over such visits. The same situation remains the same in West Bengal.

The BJP first started its political flight from the Ramrath Yatra in 1990. The then Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also instrumental in that first Rath Yatra of then-President LK Advani. After this, Advani and other leaders took out more than half a dozen yatras under different names and extended the BJP's base and reach to different parts of the country. However, these trips were also due to political controversy and confrontation. Advani's first Ayodhya Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath was halted and he was arrested by the then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's government in Bihar.

Political gains gained from the visits

The rath yatra was considered a political response to the implementation of the recommendations of the Mandal Commission of the then Prime Minister VP Singh. After this, Ekta Yatra of the then Chairman Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi was also discussed in 1991-92 for hoisting the tricolor flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Through the rath yatras, the BJP took its issues across the country and also benefited from it. Electoral successes may have been less, but after 1990 the BJP's base has been growing, and now it has reached all the states of the country.

There was a clash in Tamil Nadu last year as well

Now that elections are to be held for the five assemblies of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry, the BJP is once again undertaking similar rath yatras to increase its base. He organized the Vetrivel Rath Yatra in Tamil Nadu in November, which also led to a confrontation between him and the ruling AIADMK. The visit to Lord Murugan between November 6 and December 6 was not allowed by the government based on Covid-19, despite the BJP completing it while carrying out roadshows at various places. BJP leaders were also detained at many places.

Now preparing for Bengal

Now the BJP is preparing for Parivartan Yatra to churn out the election of West Bengal. She will undertake yatras from five places in the state, which will pass through all 294 assembly constituencies of the state. The first yatra is scheduled to begin from Navdwip on February 6, which BJP President JP Nadda is about to flag, but the state administration is not ready to allow it. Amit Shah is scheduled to flag off the second Rath Yatra from Cooch Behar on February 11. The BJP has also knocked it into the Election Commission on issues related to travel.