TMC seeks apology over ‘Tagore & Bankim photos at Union Min’s feet’

Kolkata: “BJP leaders are so desperate to please their masters in Delhi that they have abandoned their Bengali heritage altogether, claimed Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders on Thursday, pointing out to yet another instance when, according to the leaders, the saffron party “deliberately insulted luminaries” of Bengal.

Addressing a Press conference, senior Trinamool leaders Bratya Basu and Kunal Ghosh alleged that at a recent event presided over by Union minister and former BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, the portraits of Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay were placed on the floor, saying it was the “real Bangla-Birodhi face of BJP.”

Condemning the incident, they said: “We, in Bengal, revere Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, but the BJP keeps them under its feet. BJP leaders are so desperate to please their masters in Delhi that they have abandoned their Bengali heritage altogether. No Modi-Shah photo-opportunity or token cultural stunt can hide the fact that they scorn our language, mock our icons, and trample on our identity.”

They also said that when a TMCP member in Malda burnt a photo of Rabindranath Tagore, the party expelled him immediately. This is the difference between TMC and BJP, they claimed. “We took strict action, our state government ensured legal steps were taken, and we made it clear that Bengal will not tolerate any insult to Gurudev.

BJP, on the other hand, protects such offenders, promotes them, and refuses to apologise,” Basu added. TMC leaders also demanded an apology from Majumdar for the incident.

“In 2023, when Santiniketan was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, the plaques installed on the Visva-Bharati University campus carried the names of the Prime Minister and the Vice-Chancellor, but not that of Rabindranath Tagore, the very founder of the university. Erasing Gurudev’s name from history is the height of BJP’s BANGLA-BIRODHI politics,” the leaders pointed out. Trinamool Congress leaders once again raised the 2019 incident when the BJP leaders allegedly vandalised the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. They have still not apologised for this unforgivable act.

“Even our Gods and Goddesses are not spared from the BJP’s vulgar politics. Their leaders insult Maa Durga, mock our sacred traditions, and then shamelessly try to hijack Durga Puja for political branding. In Delhi, Durga Puja organisers are being instructed by CM Rekha Gupta to plaster PM Modi’s face across pandals and dedicate a day to him. Is this devotion to Maa Durga or devotion to their “non-biological” Prime Minister?” they asked. They also stated that Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has extended financial support of Rs 1.10 lakh to over 40,000 Durga Puja committees and given 80 per cent concession on electricity bills. But she never passed any diktat that her photograph should be placed in the puja pandal, they added.

“The people of Bengal and India can now see through the BJP’s hypocrisy. This is a party that disrespects our heritage, insults our Gods, and tramples our culture, yet expects Bengalis to welcome them,” they added.