WB: Denied permission for rath yatra, BJP launches plan B to hold pad yatras in all districts

Kolkata, Dec 18: Denied permission for Rath Yatra in West Bengal by the state government and the Calcutta High Court, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now plans an "alternative" padyatra or long march across the state.

"The party is considering a padyatra in absence of the Rath Yatra (as proposed earlier)," State BJP president Dilip Ghosh who on Monday led one of the protest marches denouncing the Trinamool Congress Government's "brutal murder of democracy in Bengal," said.

While the BJP is still awaiting a final order from the court, it has said that 'pad yatra' will be organised in all districts of West Bengal till the nod is given for rath yatra.

The 'pad yatras' will commence from the first week of January. The initially-planned rath yatra was slated to be spearheaded by BJP president Amit Shah, and planned to commence from Cooch Behar district.

Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court had denied permission to the BJP for the rath yatra, scheduling the next date of hearing on January 9, 2019.

The West Bengal government had denied permission for the rally on ground that it might cause communal tensions. The state's advocate general had informed the High Court about the decision of the government.