Hall for Bhagwat's event cancelled: Using state power to stifle RSS' voice will only make them champions of democracy

Mamata Banerjee needs to counter BJP politically instead of wielding administrative might. Her appeasement policies for the 27 percent are crucial for electoral victory.

RSS, mohan bhagwat, all indians are hindus — The Kutumb Prabodhan campaign comes after RSS' pet project of "one temple, one crematorium and one well for all in each village" was launched across India in 2016 on Babasaheb Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary. [Representational Image]IANS

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Tuesday alleged that a state-owned auditorium in Kolkata where its head Mohan Bhagwat was to attend a programme on October 3 has cancelled the booking for the event.

While the auditorium authorities said that the permission was cancelled due to renovation works, RSS called it the foul play of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

There is enough reason to believe that there is ruling Trinamool government's hand behind the move.

"A spokesman for the Sister Nivedita 150th birth anniversary celebrations committee, which had booked Mahajati Sadan for the programme, claimed that the auditorium authorities had accepted the booking in June," Economic Times reported.

However, last week, the officials asked for police permission. When the event organisers informed that they had already obtained that, they came up with the renovation issue.

This is not the first of face-offs between Mamata and RSS.

Recently, the Trinamool-led West Bengal government gave directions to not allow Durga idol immersion on October 1, the scheduled day of Muharram. This directive has irked many several Hindu outfits including the RSS.

In picture: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee comes out after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath in New Delhi on May 16, 2017.IANS

They stated that they will oppose the government's decision and many Hindu organisations told that they would ask the puja committees to ignore the directive.

Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh told the Indian Express, "Why will Hindus be not allowed to celebrate their biggest festival? For the last few years, the same thing has been happening. The decision is completely baseless and unconstitutional. It has been taken to appease the Muslim community of the state."

While the BJP came to power at the Centre with a thumping majority in 2014 on the promise of development, in Bengal, the Mamata government with its appeasement policies, is giving the saffron party enough boost to go back to its old school methods -- banking on Hindutva.

In January, Kolkata Police had denied permission to Bhagwat's rally. Later, the Calcutta High Court granted permission to the RSS chief to conduct the public meeting at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground.

The Trinamool government is now apparently using state power to stifle voices of RSS and its affiliate organisations. But condemning their basic rights over trivial reasons will only make them champions of free speech and democracy.

The 62-year-old leader in her second term as chief minister needs to counter politically instead of wielding administrative might. Her appeasement policies for the 27 percent are crucial for electoral victory. But ignoring the already disgruntled Hindu population is not a good idea as they might find the right-wing party promising.