The saffron ecosystem will organise a mammoth religious event on Brigade Parade Ground here on Sunday, where nearly five lakh people will recite the Bhagavad Gita in the presence of several religious, yoga, and spiritual stalwarts.
The programme is being seen as a mega drive to consolidate Hindu voters ahead of the Assembly elections.
“Panch Lokkho Konthe Gitapath (chanting of the Gita in five lakh voices)” will be organised by Sanatan Sanskriti Samsad, a cluster of different religious outfits. It is being billed as one of the largest collective recitations of the sacred text in Bengal.
The organisers said yoga exponent Baba Ramdev, Bageswar Dham’s Dhirendra Shastri, and Padma Bhushan recipient Sadhvi Rithambara would attend the programme as chief guests.
“Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose has confirmed his presence at the event. He will be one of our special guests on the dais,” said Swami Nirgunananda, one of the organising saints. “We had also invited chief minister Mamata Banerjee. However, she has neither confirmed her presence nor declined the invitation so far,” he added.
Although the event has been billed as a purely apolitical religious programme, the involvement of several leaders from the saffron camp and the BJP has given rise to speculation about its political significance. A source confirmed that senior BJP leaders, including state president Samik Bhattacharya and the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, were likely to attend.
The organisers said they began preparations three months ago and made all necessary arrangements, including amenities for devotees attending the event. So, thousands of people from different parts of the country will attend the programme in Calcutta.
Swami Pradiptananda, popularly known as Kartik Maharaj, denied any political linkage between the event with next year’s polls.
“Elections take place every year, and there is no connection between this massive Gita recitation ceremony and the elections. We are saints, and our mission is to promote the knowledge of the Gita among all,” he said.