Away from Ram Mandir, Mamata holds all-faith rally in Kolkata

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday afternoon carried out an all-faith rally in Kolkata amid the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. During the rally, Banerjee visited several places of worship representing different religions, including mosques, churches, and gurdwaras.
Banerjee, who began the Sanghati march from Hazra More, was seen walking through a large crowd and greeting people with folded hands. The CM wore her trademark white and blue bordered cotton sari with a shawl wrapped around her neck, reports Hindustan Times.
The rally aligns with the pran pratishtha ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Earlier, the CM had declined the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony saying, “The event is a gimmick show before the Lok Sabha polls”. She added that she “does not support festivities that exclude other communities”.
Hitting out at the BJP, Banerjee had said, “It is not our (politicians) job to do pran pratishtha. It is the job of the priests. Our job is to create infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the TMC chief clarified that the all-faith rally is not to counter anyone.