Mamata likely to reach Digha today to oversee Rath Yatra preparations

Kolkata: With Bengal set to witness a grand Puri-like Rath Yatra in Digha on June 27, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) top brass have urged the party leaders to attend the grand event.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given paramount importance to the safety and security of people arriving in Digha for the Rath Yatra and is likely to reach Digha on Wednesday to oversee the preparations for the festival.

TMC MLA said that he had received information from the district administration about Banerjee’s arrival a day in advance. Several ministers have already been asked to go to Digha to oversee the preparations.

Five ministers of Banerjee’s Cabinet namely Pulak Roy, Aroop Biswas, Sujit Bose, Snehasis Chakraborty and Chandrima Bhattacharya will also reach Digha on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who always gives a message of communal harmony and peace while attending religious gatherings, will inaugurate the Rath Yatra festival in Digha.

Lord Jagannath’s chariots are set to roll in Kolkata as well. The city’s grand 54th Annual Rath Yatra, organised by ISKCON Kolkata, promises to be not just a religious festival, but a heartfelt call for global unity.

“In a world fraught with tension, where the looming threat of World War III hangs heavy, Kolkata prepares to send out a resounding message — Let Peace Prevail,” reads a statement issued by ISKCON Kolkata. “Last year, a remarkable moment unfolded when devotees from both Russia and Ukraine, nations embroiled in conflict, danced shoulder-to-shoulder before Lord Jagannath’s chariot on the streets of Kolkata. The Lord of the Universe, who transcends all man-made boundaries, continues to remind us that peace is possible when we come together in devotion,” the statement further read.

It also stated: “Adding another symbolic layer to this year’s Rath Yatra is a unique engineering marvel. For over four decades, Lord Jagannath’s chariot rolled on tyres from a Boeing 747 aircraft, symbolising strength and resilience. However, after faithfully serving since 1977, those tyres had aged and were recently replaced with brand new tyres from India’s frontline Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft.”