BJP indulging in 'gimmick show' through Ram Mandir inauguration: Mamata Banerjee

JOYNAGAR: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the BJP was indulging in a "gimmick show" through the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The TMC supremo asserted that "she does not support festivities that exclude other communities".

Addressing a public programme at Joynagar in South 24 Parganas district, Banerjee said she does not believe in dividing masses on religious lines.

"I believe in festivities that take along people from all communities and speak about unity. The BJP is doing it (Ram Mandir inauguration) under court instruction but doing it before Lok Sabha polls as a gimmick show," she said.


"I don't believe in dividing people on religious lines," she said.

The Ram temple in Ayodhya will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony.