This story first appeared in News18
TMC leaders associated with pujas are also keeping track of the money flow, with central agencies closing in on several party members
Durga Puja in West Bengal is all-encompassing. Virtually no aspect of life or society is untouched. And that of course includes politics. That is why leaders from most parties try to be very visible in promoting and participating in Durga Puja festivities. Often in recent years, ministers from the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) have been seen trying to outshine each other in the process. This time though, party insiders tell News18, the enthusiasm seems tempered.
Devotees in West Bengal this year are looking forward to the Durga Puja after it has been granted heritage status by UNESCO and also been freed from the restrictions of the Covid crisis. People are eagerly awaiting pandal-hopping, “adda”, food, and festivities. Huge crowds are expected at every major venue.
Before the 2021 assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party too had jumped into this arena and it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who virtually inaugurated a Durga Puja organised by the BJP in Kolkata.
The TMC had almost monopolised the puja celebrations in the state and that’s why the BJP pushed its way in to find a firm footing.
This year though, both parties seem to have taken a backward step. Speaking to News18, BJP vice president Dilip Ghosh said, “We will do Durga Puja this year also. Two years ago, it was the first time the Prime Minister inaugurated it. Moreover, as the assembly election was there, it got publicity. My question is, why are TMC mInisters’ faces so less visible on posters? Are they afraid of the CBI? That’s why they are playing it safe this time.”
Reacting to this, Tapas Roy, senior TMC leader, told News18, “The BJP has no idea about Bengal’s Durga Puja. They use religion in politics and that’s why, to grab power in 2021, they organised such a big puja. See, this year, nothing is there. Ghosh should concentrate on his own party. We are not afraid.”
Sujit Bose, a top TMC leader and minister, is also a proponent of a very popular Durga Puja of Kolkata, organised by his club Sreebhumi, which is known for its pageantry. Speaking to News18, he said, “Dilip Ghosh and Co. did puja for elections. We do puja for the past 30 years. It’s not right that our names and photos are not on banners, etc. We are celebrating puja in a big way. Durga Puja is our life .”
Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, who is also a minister, is behind another successful Durga Puja organisation. “Everything is the same. It’s just that we are more concerned about taking any donations. We are checking everything then taking any money,” he said, at a time when the TMC is trying to project a clean image after several of its leaders getting caught up in corruption cases.
Former minister Partha Chatterjee, who is currently in jail in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam case, had put his alleged aide Arpita Mukherjee on his puja poster a few years back, a fact that has tarnished the image of the Naktala Udayan Sangha, say sources.
Experts also say that donations to Durga Puja events have often been unaccounted money coming in from chit fund owners.
Sources in the TMC say that while the Durga Puja celebrations, adda, enjoyment, etc, will happen at a large scale this time, party leaders and workers have been made aware that too much pomp and pageantry is not encouraged.
Also, TMC leaders associated with pujas are keeping track of the money flow, with central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) hovering.
A senior leader told News18, “We are handling sponsorship and all dealings through agencies. No cash is encouraged. Only members of the club contribute.”