Jogi katha to counter BJP Hindutva

The Chief Minister has made elaborate arrangements to make the Ram katha a success. Colourful posters have come up in the town with an open invitation to the Ram katha from the CM. One such poster shows Jogi quoting slokas from the Ramayana and making an appeal to the public to become devotees of Lord Rama. Jogi is also shown telling the people that the ‘‘Jai Shri Ram’’ mantra’s magical spell can rid one of diseases, mental tensions and bring in prosperity and contentment in life.

To oversee arrangements for the function, Jogi has set up an organising committee under Education Minister Satyanarain Sharma. The organiser have already built a massive waterproof pandal over a 30,000 sq m area at the sprawling BTI ground in Raipur’s Shankar Nagar, the venue of the Ram katha. A calendar for the programme has also been issued. The function will start with a Shobha Yatra on July 4 and end with the ‘‘Rajgaddi Samaroh’’ on July 10.

Education Minister Sharma says, ‘‘This Ram katha will be totally different from the others. The CM has personally taken pains to ensure its success.’’ Sharma, however, denies any political motive behind the Ram katha. Yesterday, Jogi participated in the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, sweeping the yatra path and performing a puja. Tomorrow, he will join Hindu religious leaders in a major ceremony at the newly-built Jagannath temple.