Key Points

A state committee leader of the BJP from West Bengal said on Wednesday evening that a communication has reached the state BJP leadership that the Prime Minister might not be able to dedicate time to his Ranaghat programmes, which were originally scheduled on September 20.

However, the state committee said that the Ranaghat programmes of the Prime Minister had not been cancelled altogether, and it would be postponed to some other dates in the near future.

This was supposed to be the fourth such twin-programmes of Prime Minister Modi in 2025 in West Bengal.

The first programme was at Alipurduar town in Alipurduar district in north Bengal in June, the second being at the industrial township of Durgapur in West Burdwan district in south Bengal in July, and the third and the last being at Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas district, also in south Bengal, in August.

In the political rallies on all three occasions, the Prime Minister launched scathing attacks against the West Bengal government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the ruling Trinamool Congress on various issues like rampant corruption, rise in crime against women in the state, and frequent communal tension and riot-like situations in minority-dominated pockets in the state.

However, insiders from the state unit of the BJP said that there is a high possibility that on the evening of September 21, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah might arrive in Kolkata to inaugurate two community Durga Pujas in the city on September 22.

Union Minister Shah is supposed to fly back to New Delhi on the evening of August 22 again.

Earlier this year, the West Bengal BJP unit presented a plan to the party's central leadership for five public meetings by Prime Minister Modi in the state during the remaining five months of the calendar year of 2025, which will mean one meeting per month by the Prime Minister in the state during that period.

At the same time, the BJP has plans to organise a mega central rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata in January next year, which will also be addressed by the Prime Minister.

The state committee insider also said that the geographical locations of the proposed public meeting of the Prime Minister for the remaining months of the current calendar year will be planned in such a manner that major parts of both south Bengal and north Bengal could be covered.

As per the plan, the meetings will be planned at locations at junctures of two or more districts.

- IANS