Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in the Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha seat in support of BJP nominee Tapas Roy on Tuesday evening touched three destinations associated with three iconic personalities of the state — Maa Sarada, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Swami Vivekananda.
The Prime Minister first reached the residence of Maa Sarada, the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, at Bagbazar in North Kolkata.
After offering floral tributes, the Prime Minister also interacted with the monks residing there.
After that, the roadshow reached the Shyambazar five-point crossing where he garlanded the statue of Subhas Chandra Bose.
Moving on from there, the roadshow ended in front of the residence of Swami Vivekananda on Simla Street.
From Shyambazar to Simla Street, the Prime Minister travelled in an open-hood vehicle, accompanied by state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar, leader of opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, and the party candidates from Kolkata Uttar and Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituencies, Tapas Roy and Shilbhadra Dutta, respectively.
The roadshow drew a massive response with thousands of people gathering on both sides of the road as the Prime Minister waved at the crowd throughout the journey.
Political observers view the move to start the roadshow from Maa Sarada’s residence and end it at Swami Vivekananda’s residence as a political masterstroke by the Prime Minister, given the recent statements made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing a section of the monks associated with the Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, and ISKCON of acting on BJP’s behalf.
The Chief Minister’s comments evoked strong criticism from all sections of the society in Bengal, with the Prime Minister accusing her of making attempts to please her party’s dedicated vote bank.
