Trinamool, Opposition unite for motion to maintain communal peace and harmony

Kolkata: A motion was moved in the Assembly on Thursday unanimously by the ruling party and the opposition alike to maintain peace and harmony in the state and the country, in the face of

growing levels of intolerance against a particular community and the rising incidents of violence.

During the discussion on the motion, several ministers of the state government and leaders of the opposition parties raised their concern in the House regarding the attack on the people belonging to the minority community.

They also protested against the chanting of the slogan of Lord Ram while carrying out violence across the country.

The motion will eventually be passed in the Assembly before being sent to the Centre through the state government. The state government will urge the Centre to take decisive steps to check the incidents of communal attack, in which people from a particular community are affected.

State Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee criticised the Centre in the Assembly for dividing people along religious lines. "The BJP has been giving tacit support to fan religious fanaticism across the country, only to gain political advantage," he said.

"There have been attempts to divide the country along religious lines. A particular community has been incited against another by a political party to receive electoral benefits. Nationalism has taken a backseat due to relentless fanaticism in the country," Chatterjee added.

He also said: "We are not concerned due to the surge of a political party. In a Parliamentary democracy one party will form the government while another will be voted out. But the way the communal tension is going up across the country is a matter of worry for all of us. I may not like a particular person or a party but the battle must be fought politically, not setting aside the spirit of nationalism. After the Lok Sabha elections, around 40 incidents of violence have taken place in the state."

Chatterjee also criticised the Left MLAs in a subtle way, saying: "You are talking about communal harmony now. Before the Lok Sabha elections, you aligned yourselves with the party that spreads communal tension." He urged all people cutting across their political allegiance to come forward and fight for the cause.

While speaking in favour of the motion, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim said that Lord Ram is a holy name but lynching people in the name of Lord Ram cannot be acceptable.

It may be mentioned here that a Madrasa teacher was allegedly assaulted by a religious organisation, after he refused to chant 'Jay Shree Ram'.