Before the chariot rolls, the Madanmohan chant.

Trinamul leaders in Cooch Behar have invoked Madanmohan, the most revered local deity housed in a temple built by the royals, ahead of a Rath Yatra to be flagged off by BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday.

“Cooch Behar-e sudhu Madanmohan Thakur rath-ey choren (In Cooch Behar, only Lord Madanmohan rides a chariot)” is the refrain among ruling party leaders, including minister and district Trinamul chief Rabindranath Ghosh. “As Cooch Behar residents, we cannot think of a Rath Yatra with anybody other than Lord Madanmohan. The BJP yatra will be a flop show,” said Ghosh.

Trinamul posters have sprouted with the “Madanmohan only” message, one them at Jhinaidanga where Shah is slated to address a public meeting after launching the yatra. Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb will be among the other BJP leaders present.

The Madanmohan temple was set up by King Nripendra Narayan in 1890. Every year, the deity is taken out on a chariot during Rath Yatra celebrations.

BJP leaders accused Trinamul of trying to exploit sentiments by referring to the deity. “This is an attempt by Trinamul to mislead the people. All of us revere the deity. Our party president Amit Shah will offer puja at the temple before flagging off the rath,” said district BJP chief Malati Rava.

She accused Trinamul of trying to foment tension through the posters. “She (chief minister Mamata Banerjee) came to Cooch Behar several times but only in October (this year) did she visit the temple after learning that our president will visit the place,” added Rava.

In Calcutta, BJP Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee said members would blow conches when the yatra starts in Cooch Behar. Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh wondered whether Trinamul was “afraid” of the event.

Additional reporting by Sandip Chowdhury in Calcutta