Mamata Banerjee greeted with 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan at rath yatra event

Serampore: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was greeted with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters yet again when she visited Mahesh area in Hooghly district to inaugurate the 623-year-old Ratha Yatra festival on Thursday.

The slogan was heard from a section of the gathering as Banerjee was alighting from the dais amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ over the public address system. Mahesh, which is about 24 km from Kolkata, falls under Serampore Lok Sabha constituency which was won by Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress supremo had been trolled by the BJP for her angry reaction to ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans at Bhatpara in North 24 Parganas district in May. Similar incident had taken place Chandrakona in West Midnapore district.

At the programme, Banerjee announced a Rs 15 crore package for popularising the Mahesh Ratha Yatra and construction of an eco-tourism park in the town. The chief minister said her government was focussing on the development of pilgrimage centres across the state.

“We have developed civic and religious amenities in pilgrim centres such as Tarakeswar, Tarapith, Furfura Sharif and Dakshineswar. We will do the same at Mahesh,” she said.