Taking up 'Sangh Parivar' and blaming it for the violence which erupted in the State on 'Ram Navami' yesterday, West Bengal's Trinamool Congress chief-minister Mamata Banerjee has wondered whether Lord Ram told them to take up arms.

BJP and its parent body Sangh Parivar held rallies in various parts of the State on Sunday (25th March) on the eve of 'Ram Navami' which was observed with fanfare across the country yesterday.  The rallies conducted by the Parivar resulted in violence in which one person died and five policemen were injured.  Mamata had expressed her condemnation at the clashes which took place in Purulia District.

She has asked the District Administration to take 'strict action' against those who braved the curfew and took out a rally and carried arms.  Taking part at an administrative meeting in South 24 Parganas District, Mamata wondered whether Lord Ram told them to take out a procession carrying dangerous arms.  "How can we hand over the control of law and order to those who demean Hindu God Lord Ram?  I want strict taken against the perpetrators of violence," she said.

"West Bengal doesn't follow a culture of violence and we can't allow violence to be perpetrated in the name of religion.  Only tradition-driven devices were allowed to be taken in the rally but the rallyists had dangerous fire-arms which they carried chanting Lord Ram's name.  It's nothing but a tactic to scare the locals.  Bengalis follow all religions and be it Durga Pooja festival or Christmas celebration, we have been conducting everything in a peaceful maner," Mamata concluded.