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Has the election result tilted the Marxists towards God? In a striking departure from its past tradition, West Bengal’s main CPI(M) mouthpiece Ganashakti fell in line with other theist dailies and shut down for a day on Vijaya Dashmi. There was no publication on Friday.
On Navami (ninth day of Durga Puja) Day, a front page vacancy advertisement carried by the paper offered “Our best Vijaya Dashmi wishes to the readers”.
The Marxist paper is not known for acknowledging Hindu traditions as it prefers to identify Durga Puja as utsav (festivities), in sharp contrast to referring Eid as Eid. However, this time it did with the paper sparing almost eight columns a day on an average to cover the festivals.
None of the party leaders offered to comment on the changed tack by the Marxist mouthpiece. State party Secretary Biman Bose had “other important work to do”.
However, a couple of powerful State secretariat (equivalent to Politburo in terms of State politics) members expressed the need for “some adjustment in line as you have to take note of people’s aspirations and belief. Can you ignore the traditions of the teeming millions? Even Jyoti Basu said so.”
The leaders refused to comment on whether the Ganashakti decision would see more such in-house “adjustments” coming in future and whether it marked a return to the Jyoti Basu-Subhas Chakrabarty line.
One of the tallest mass leaders of the party, Chakrabarty had just a few years before his demise been censored by his party for offering pujas at Tara Peeth, a popular pilgrimage in Bengal.
In fact, soon after the Chakrabarty controversy the State party barred the party members from getting directly involved in the management of the Durga Puja celebration. Though this invited a lot of grumbling, there was no open protest. But this was before Nandigram and Singur happened.
Since then a lot of water has flowed down the Hooghly and Red Bengal has been painted Green.
In several localities, members of Left party organs, the DYFI, the SFI and CITUC were seen directly participating in Puja celebrations.
“We do not mind the Communists coming with us to celebrate the Puja. Many of them were seen working with Durga Puja committees. At least good sense has prevailed after the humiliating defeat in the elections,” Bobby Hakim, a State Minister and himself a Puja organiser remarked.
On Navami (ninth day of Durga Puja) Day, a front page vacancy advertisement carried by the paper offered “Our best Vijaya Dashmi wishes to the readers”.
The Marxist paper is not known for acknowledging Hindu traditions as it prefers to identify Durga Puja as utsav (festivities), in sharp contrast to referring Eid as Eid. However, this time it did with the paper sparing almost eight columns a day on an average to cover the festivals.
None of the party leaders offered to comment on the changed tack by the Marxist mouthpiece. State party Secretary Biman Bose had “other important work to do”.
However, a couple of powerful State secretariat (equivalent to Politburo in terms of State politics) members expressed the need for “some adjustment in line as you have to take note of people’s aspirations and belief. Can you ignore the traditions of the teeming millions? Even Jyoti Basu said so.”
The leaders refused to comment on whether the Ganashakti decision would see more such in-house “adjustments” coming in future and whether it marked a return to the Jyoti Basu-Subhas Chakrabarty line.
One of the tallest mass leaders of the party, Chakrabarty had just a few years before his demise been censored by his party for offering pujas at Tara Peeth, a popular pilgrimage in Bengal.
In fact, soon after the Chakrabarty controversy the State party barred the party members from getting directly involved in the management of the Durga Puja celebration. Though this invited a lot of grumbling, there was no open protest. But this was before Nandigram and Singur happened.
Since then a lot of water has flowed down the Hooghly and Red Bengal has been painted Green.
In several localities, members of Left party organs, the DYFI, the SFI and CITUC were seen directly participating in Puja celebrations.
“We do not mind the Communists coming with us to celebrate the Puja. Many of them were seen working with Durga Puja committees. At least good sense has prevailed after the humiliating defeat in the elections,” Bobby Hakim, a State Minister and himself a Puja organiser remarked.
