HOW RAM NAVAMI BECAME A FOCAL POINT IN BENGAL POLITICS

Of late, Ram Navami has become a major flashpoint in West Bengal politics. It has become a high-octane event between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). What was traditionally a religious occasion has currently, morphed into a fierce political battleground.

For the BJP which is looking to consolidate Hindu votes, has made Ram Navami a focal point of its campaign. And hence, Hindutva groups, including the VHP and the RSS, had set a target of mobilising over three crore people and taking out rallies in every block in West Bengal.

VHP West Bengal secretary Chandra Nath Das identified three key reasons behind the growing traction of Ram Navami: a record number of Bengali devotees visiting the Kumbh Mela and Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the emotional connection of many Hindus in the state with their persecuted relatives across the border, and a rising discontent against the state government’s alleged policies of minority appeasement.

“This year’s Ram Navami has given people an opportunity to express their anger and voice their protests. The celebrations will act as a stepping stone for Hindu unity ahead of next year’s elections. The more the Hindu community is attacked, the stronger its response will be,” Das said.

“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If Hindus are attacked in Bangladesh and West Bengal, there will be a reaction. If we can successfully celebrate Ram Navami, then Hindus in Bangladesh will also have a sense of satisfaction that their atrocities have not gone unheard,” he said.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed the saffron camp’s narrative, stating, “People will not accept those who run businesses in the name of religion.” TMC MP Sougata Roy criticised the BJP’s attempts to polarise the electorate, claiming, “The BJP is deliberately trying to disturb the communal harmony of West Bengal by weaponising religious festivals. They want to divide people before the elections.”

The state has witnessed multiple communal flashpoints around Ram Navami processions in recent years. In 2018, large-scale violence erupted in Asansol, leaving several people dead. Similar tensions were seen in 2019, 2022, and 2023 when group clashes broke out in districts such as Murshidabad, Howrah, and Malda.

Also, it may be noted that the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh has added a new dimension to Ram Navami mobilisation in West Bengal.

Since last August, temples and homes have been attacked, prompting BJP protests statewide and accusations that the TMC ignores the persecution.

“Our Bengali Hindu brothers in Bangladesh are under siege. We cannot allow such persecution to happen here,” senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said.

However, TMC leaders accused the BJP of using the Bangladesh issue as a tool for polarisation.

“The BJP is trying to import communal issues from Bangladesh into West Bengal to gain votes. This is dangerous politics,” state minister Firhad Hakim said.

HOW RAM NAVAMI BECAME A POLITICAL CONTEST

Ram Navami in West Bengal this year became a political contest, with the BJP promoting Hindutva and the TMC also celebrating to counter its “monopoly” ahead of polls.

Across Kolkata and many districts, saffron flags flutter and chants of “Jai Shri Ram” echo through crowded streets, as hundreds of processions turn the festival into one of Bengal’s most politically charged events ahead of elections.

Over 60 rallies took place across the city, with similar processions in Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, and Uttar Dinajpur. Tight security was enforced, deploying thousands of police and central forces in sensitive areas.

That the festival had transformed into a political battleground was evident as leaders from both camps stepped onto the streets with zeal.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari joined a Ram Navami procession in Bhabanipur, the south Kolkata constituency where he is set to challenge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the upcoming polls.

“Ram Navami is a celebration of our civilisation and culture. People across Bengal are coming out in large numbers to show their devotion,” Adhikari said while participating in the rally.

Several BJP leaders and candidates also joined processions in their respective constituencies, turning the religious celebration into a demonstration of organisational strength.

For the saffron camp, Ram Navami has become a crucial instrument of political mobilisation in Bengal over the past decade.

However, if you thought TMC played cold over the event...sample this.

Over the past few years, several TMC leaders have begun participating in Ram Navami events or organising local processions themselves, a shift that political observers see as part of the party’s attempt to counter the BJP’s Hindutva narrative.

“Ram does not belong to any political party. He belongs to everyone,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently said, responding to the BJP’s aggressive mobilisation around the festival.

The chief minister’s remarks aim to reclaim the festival’s cultural symbolism and counter the BJP’s hold on the Hindu narrative. Amid the election campaign, Ram Navami has become a battleground of political symbolism.

While the BJP showcases the festival as a celebration of cultural identity and Hindu unity, the TMC seeks to balance participation with its long-standing secular image, resulting in what critics describe as a form of competitive religious politics.

However, Left and Congress leaders have accused the BJP of attempting to import what they call “North Indian Hindutva politics” into Bengal.

They have also criticised the TMC for engaging in “soft Hindutva” to counter the BJP’s narrative rather than confronting it politically.

“This aggressive use of religion in politics is alien to Bengal’s syncretic traditions,” a senior CPI(M) leader said, alleging that both the BJP and the TMC were trying to reap electoral dividends from religious symbolism.

The political stakes surrounding Ram Navami have grown even sharper this year with the entry of several smaller Muslim political formations into the electoral fray.

Along with the presence of AIMIM, these emerging outfits are attempting to mobilise sections of the minority electorate, potentially altering the traditional arithmetic of Bengal’s politics where Muslim votes have largely consolidated behind the TMC.

What was once a relatively modest religious event, over the past decade, has evolved into a symbolic battleground where religion, identity and electoral strategy intersect.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Robin Roy, The writer is Senior Journalist and former Managing Editor, First India