PM Modi to skip Kolkata’s mass Gita chant event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be attending the ‘Ek Lakh Gita Path’ programme in Kolkata on December 24, in which around 1 lakh people are scheduled to collectively chant the Bhagavad Gita, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar said on Wednesday.

‘We had extended an invitation to PM Modi. However, he conveyed to me yesterday that due to prior official commitments, he regrets being unable to participate in the event. Nonetheless, he has sent his best wishes,’ Majumdar said.

To be held at the Brigade Parade Ground in the heart of the city, the event is a collaborative effort of various religious groups, maintaining an apolitical stance, as emphasised by Majumdar. Invitations have also been extended to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Governor C V Ananda Bose and other prominent personalities of the state.