Journalism of Courage
Hailing the Calcutta High Court’s order on Friday allowing the RSS to hold its programme in the city on Saturday, the organisations’s state leadership said West Bengal government should “take lessons” from it. Saturday’s rally, they said, would help in uniting Hindus across the state who are facing oppression under TMC rule.
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“We thank the court for the verdict. We will abide by whatever the court has said. We feel that the state government should take lessons from the verdict. We are not a political organisation. We are a social organisation. Then why is the state administration trying to stop us from holding the rally?” RSS spokesperson Jishnu Basu told reporters.
Calcutta High Court on Friday allowed the RSS to hold its programme, which is to be attended by its supremo Mohan Bhagwat at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on Saturday.
In its order, the HC rejected the refusal of permission by Kolkata Police and directed that it be held at the Brigade Parade Ground subject to some restrictions including a cap of 4,000 on the number of attendees.
Asked whether the rally organsiers would be able to contain the gathering at 4,000, Basu replied in the affirmative.
“We are a disciplined organisation and we will be able to limit our gathering to 4,000. We have already made arrangement so that our activists don’t need to come to Brigade Parade but stay back in their localities and watch the programme live on their television.”
Basu said tomorrow’s rally being held despite all odds created by the state government will act as a “morale booster for Hindu unity in the state”.
“The way Hindus have been attacked and assaulted only shows the inefficiency of the state administration in tackling communal riots,” he added.
