The Bhoomi Puja of Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was an occasion for Hindus all over the world to celebrate. However, secular state governments in Bharat seemed to be riled with this expression of joy by Hindus and fearing a possible backlash from their minority vote-banks Ram bhakts were arrested in Bengal and Maharashtra for performing Pooja in the wake of the Bhoomi puja at Ayodhya.

WB (West Bengal) CM Mamata Banerjee’s anti-Hindu stance is all too well-known. However, she has been so blinded by minority appeasement and Hindu hatred that not only were people stopped from performing Bhagwan Ram’s Pooja but the saffron flags hoisted outside people’s homes to celebrate the joyous occasion were removed as well.

https://twitter.com/binaniyash4/status/1290880166168686592

Stopping puja in Bengal during Ram Mandir Bhumi Punon is extremely disgracing.
It's definitely unfortunate and sad. pic.twitter.com/fLNJhICaI2

— M D KUMAR 🇮🇳🙏 (@MDKUMAR16952467) August 5, 2020

While on the one hand, Hindus were being stopped from celebrating, on the other no action was taken against Muslims were on the streets of Raza Bazaar in Kolkata openly threatening violence against Hindus who were celebrating.

Muslim Mob creating terror on streets of Raza Bazaar, Kolkata, ahead of Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan in Ayodhya. Some even chanting "ghar me dhuk ke maaro inko(hindus ko)". This is the situation of WB, where chanting Jai Shri Ram is a Crime, but terrorising hindus is not.#RamMandir pic.twitter.com/dKfJKJauNY

— Sanskari Ladka (@sanskari1ladka) August 5, 2020

Clashes were reported from several parts of West Bengal as Hindus were not permitted to conduct Pooja. Readers might recall that Hindupost had reported how Mamata Banerjee had exempted Eid from the complete lockdown she had announced.

However, 5^th August, the day of the Bhoomi puja at Ayodhya, was included in the days when complete lockdown had to be observed. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for including 5^th August except to keep Hindus away from celebrating.

While Mamata Banerjee’s actions should not come as any surprise, the fall of the Shiv Sena from a so-called Hindutva party is astonishing. Just like neo-converts are over-enthusiastic to prove their loyalty, Shiv Sena is attempting to prove its ‘secular credentials’ by attacking Hindus time and again.

During the Ashada Ekadashi festival, two devotees of Shiv Chhatrapati were arrested for carrying the padukas of the ruler to Pandharpur as is customary. It had even booked a priest of a Panvel temple for having opened a temple even though there were no crowds.

The same Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government which had granted special permission to Muslims for Eid celebrations and ‘appealed’ to them to contain celebrations ‘if possible’, it didn’t even blink an eye before ‘ordering’ Hindus to hold a subdued Ganesh Utsav and arresting Ram Bhakts who were simply offering prayers.

मुगलशाही!!!!!!

Balasaheb thackeray ji's son's govt arresting ppl for performing prayers of shri Ram…👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/a8e0LzkLnV

— आलू बोंडा (@ek_aalu_bonda) August 5, 2020

The Thackeray father and son duo who often love to flaunt their ‘Hindutva-ness’ by invoking the name of senior Thackeray Balasaheb as ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ even had notices issued to sadhus and pandits for conducting Maha-aarti.

The pressure of secular allies Congress and NCP and the desperation of Uddhav Thackeray to hold on to power at the cost of their supposed Hindu ideology is so deep that he has been attacking Hindus at every available opportunity.

Shiv Sena is attempting to sail in the Hindutva and minority boats at the same time. In doing so, it is only coming across as an opportunistic and power-hungry party. It is the Sena and secular parties who keep claiming the PM Modi and BJP are fascists, who are in reality practicing fascism by arresting against SM users.

Leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackeray would do well to remember that the laws of the land require them to treat every citizen at par. They cannot have one set of rules for minorities and a totally different and opposing one for the majority.

Secularism cannot and should not become an excuse to trample upon Hindus. The Ram Janmabhoomi is a hard-fought victory and the end result of struggle and sacrifices spanning over almost five centuries.

To rob Hindus of a chance to celebrate such a momentous occasion in Bharat when Hindus in other parts of the world are rejoicing and Muslims can freely celebrate Eid smacks of a fascist attitude towards Hindus.

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