With history repeating itself for the second consecutive year the BJP has attacked Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee for making way for Muharram processions at the cost of Visharjan ceremony involving immersion of Durga idols on Vijaya Dashmi Day.
Earlier on Wednesday the Chief Minister through an official communiqué ordered, “no immersion will take place after 6 pm on Dashmi (September 30) till October 1 due to Muharram processions,” adding “immersions would resume from October 2.”
She also tweeted “this year Durga Puja and Muharram fall on the same day. Except 24 hour period on Muharram day, immersions can take place on October 2,3, and 4,” leading the BJP to up the ante saying the Chief Minister was trying to divide the Hindus and Muslims in order to win votes.
“She did this earlier also in order to pursue her policy of appeasement and win votes. But the BJP will not take this lying down,” Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha said adding his party would move the High Court seeking a quashing of the order.
“Though last year the High Court stayed her order she did not learn a lesson from it. This year again she has done the same thing to play narrow electoral politics. But the BJP will protest against this order and move the court.”
The Chief Minister however subsequently issued clarifications saying the order was not for halting procession of idols but postponing it for 24 hours. In order to back her decision she said there could be law and order problem as there was no dearth of mischief mongers who could create tension between the two communities.
last year following immersion directives from the Chief Minister several Durga Puja committees — some run by powerful Ministers particularly in South Kolkata — not only postponed their immersion processions on Muharram day but also put Puja pandals in virtual lock and key, switching off lights, stopping even the daily puja of the Mother Goddess.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s orders Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh wondered “is West Bengal gradually heading towards Talibani ruleIJ Saraswati Pujas being stopped at schools, Durga Puja immersion being repeatedly barred, the attempt to introduce Urdu-Arabic words in Bengali language (abba, amma, aasmani) ... all this is proof of that. After this we will have to start calling Didi (the Chief Minister) by Urdu term ‘apa’. How long the people of Bengal tolerate thisIJ”