Hooghly, 10 October (H.S.): Minister Bhaskar Bhattacharya alleged that the previous government had ridiculed Bengal’s cultural traditions by portraying Durga Puja merely as a festival and inaugurating puja pandals before Mahalaya. He made the remarks on Saturday at the release ceremony of the puja special edition of the literary magazine Kavitar Dinraat. Five poems written by the minister have been published in this special edition.

Bhattacharya said that in Sanatan Dharma, Durga Puja is not merely a festival but an occasion for worship and devotion. He stressed that there is a difference between religious worship and a general celebration. Alleging that the previous government had attempted to appease different groups, he claimed that it had undermined the traditional significance and religious importance of Durga Puja.

Referring to the 34-year Left Front rule in West Bengal, the minister said Durga Puja had been presented as a “Sharadiya Utsav” during that period. Questioning the Left’s ideological approach, he asked why those who, according to his allegations, mocked religion and religious figures were interested in setting up book stalls promoting the ideologies of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin at puja pandals. He also argued that Russian Marxist ideology had no direct traditional connection with Indian culture.

However, Bhattacharya clarified that he had no objection to Left-wing book stalls being set up at Durga Puja venues. He said people should decide for themselves whether they wished to follow the teachings of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa or draw inspiration from Lenin’s ideology.

He further remarked that the people should determine the relevance of Lenin in Srirampore and the significance of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in Bengal’s social life.

The minister’s remarks have brought the relationship between the religious significance of Durga Puja, Left-wing ideology and Bengal’s cultural heritage into focus, adding a political and cultural dimension to the ong

oing debate.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey