Upon being asked about the perceived "double standard" in allowing a week-long closure of the Red Road for International Yoga Day celebrations while relocating the traditional Eid congregation to the Brigade Parade Ground last month citing public inconve… Read on blog or Reader Alt News Read on blog or Reader ‘Go to Bangladesh or Pakistan to offer namaz’: Dilip Ghosh defends week-long Red Road closure for Yoga Day By Ankita Mahalanobish on 24th June 2026 Upon being asked about the perceived "double standard" in allowing a week-long closure of the Red Road for International Yoga Day celebrations while relocating the traditional Eid congregation to the Brigade Parade Ground last month citing public inconvenience, Bengal panchayat and rural development minister Dilip Ghosh on June 16 said, “Go to Bangladesh or Pakistan and offer namaz; no one will oppose there. All of this won’t happen here."  Red Road, the venue for the city’s observance of the 12th International day of Yoga, remained closed to vehicular traffic since June 14 for preparations till the conclusion of the event on June 21. On Sunday, the programme, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was held on the iconic thoroughfare after a week-long preparations. PM Narendra Modi attends an International Yoga Day event on Red Road, Kolkata, on June 21, 2026 | Photo: X/@narendramodi During an interaction with a journalist from the regional news channel RPlus, Ghosh was asked about the criticism that the newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration received about the relocation of Eid prayers. Muslims have offered namaz at Red Road with the permission of the Army since 1919, but for the first time this year, the congregation was relocated after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state.  The BJP government justified the move as part of its broader directive aimed at ensuring that religious gatherings do not obstruct roads, disrupt traffic or cause public inconvenience. The administration had also directed the use of loudspeakers to remain confined within religious premises, except on special occasions.  The scribe highlighted that the Eid prayers required traffic diversions for a brief period of time, just twice a year, whereas the preparation for the Yoga Day celebrations led to the closure of the road for seven days at a stretch — pointing to what critics described as the administration's hypocrisy.   In response, Ghosh defended the road closure as routine for visits of high profile dignitaries, “Whenever the Prime Minister visits, roads are closed — not just Red Road. Any route he takes has to be restricted.”  He argued that the venue was selected judiciously keeping public convenience in mind, “The venue was chosen because traffic movement there is comparatively lower. It being a holiday, fewer people were expected in the area. That is why the event was organised there, otherwise, it would have caused greater inconvenience to the public."  'Who are they anyway?' The journalist reiterated that offering namaz at Red Road takes barely 15 minutes. Ghosh dismissed the comparison and stated, “For how many hours is traffic disrupted for those 15 minutes? Who are they anyway? Just Tom, Dick and Harry! Why should Red Road be closed for them?", adding, "Roads will be closed for the Prime Minister. They will be closed for the chief minister. That is only natural. After all, the Prime Minister is visiting just once a year — after many years, in fact."  Seemingly referring to Muslims offering namaz at Red Road as unjust, the MLA continued: “For 107 years, this injustice has been allowed to continue, and now people are feeling suffocated after just one year? Go to Bangladesh or Pakistan and offer namaz; no one will object there. This will not be allowed here anymore. The government has changed, and people voted for change precisely to put an end to such practices. And let me make it clear: they will be stopped."   Red Road — roughly 2 km long and formally known as Indira Gandhi Sarani — bisects the Maidan and runs from the vicinity of Eden Gardens to Fort William. It is a key arterial route for commuters travelling between south and central Kolkata and the city's major institutional, commercial and legal districts. The road hosts West Bengal's official Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations, while the annual Durga Puja Carnival, introduced by the Mamata Banerjee government, is also held here. Calcutta HC Refused to Intervene In the run up to the Yoga Day celebrations, the All India Lawyers’ Association had filed a petition challenging the blockade of Red Road. In response, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya declined to interfere with the police order and the state's decision to regulate vehicular movement from June 14 to June 21, citing the urgency of the event. However, Justice Bhattacharyya raised questions about why the event could not have been organised at the Brigade Parade Ground, stating, “Would the importance of the event have been diminished if it had taken place at the Brigade Parade Ground? Residents could then have used the road.” Senior advocate and former Rajya Sabha MP, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, representing the association, questioned whether all international day celebrations should warrant road closures for seven days. In response, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya noted that "the programme is apolitical.” However, additional advocate general (AAG), Billwadal Bhattacharya, argued that this was a state programme and not organised by an individual, a private entity, or for religious purposes. Speaking to The Print, Santosh Kumar Pathak, BJP member from the Chowringhee assembly constituency, claimed, “Earlier, when the Eid congregation was held on Red Road, the public suffered from traffic jams for hours. Now that it has shifted to the Brigade Parade Ground, there is no public suffering due to traffic, and I also want to say thank you to the people following the government orders.”

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