The event will be held at the Brigade Parade Ground in the heart of the city (File)
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," Mr 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 Mr Majumdar.
Invitations have also been extended to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Governor C V Ananda Bose, and other prominent personalities of the state.
"This event is unrelated to the BJP; we are not the organisers," Mr Majumdar added.
Srimant Nirgunanada Brahmachari, vice-president of the organising committee, said an invitation has been sent to Ms Banerjee, and the same could be extended again if protocol issues arise.
"We, being sadhus, are not well-versed in official procedures for inviting high-profile guests like the CM," Srimant Nirgunanada Brahmachari said during a recent press conference.
However, the ruling Trinamool Congress alleged that the programme is strategically timed with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"This event is being organised with an eye on the general elections. We have nothing against the recitation of the Bhagavad Gita, but it should not be politicised," TMC MP Santanu Sen said.
Earlier, on December 10, a similar event took place in Hooghly district, where over 2,000 people participated in chanting of the Bhagavad Gita. The event, organised by the Mahesh Lord Jagannath Development Trust, saw the presence of TMC MP Kalyan Bandopadhyay and West Bengal Panchayat Minister Pradip Majumdar.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had secured 18 out of 42 seats in the state, while the TMC's tally decreased to 22. The Congress won two seats.
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