West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Samik Bhattacharya on Monday launched a sharp attack on the CPI(M) and Left-backed student protests, alleging that slogans such as “Kashmir Mange Azadi” and “Bharat Tere Tukde Honge” have no place in a democratic movement.
The senior BJP leader also warned parents to keep their children away from such campaigns.
Bhattacharya justified the BJP’s rally at Esplanade on Monday as a symbolic protests against “subversive” politics of the Left parties. He said the Constitution guarantees every citizen the democratic right to protest, but asserted that the right cannot be used to raise slogans questioning India’s unity and integrity.
“The Left has every democratic right to stand beside students. The Constitution has given everyone the right to protest. But why should protests become a platform for raising ‘Azadi’ slogans? Do they want the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir?” he asked.
Referring to the recent student demonstrations, the BJP leader alleged that the agitation had crossed democratic limits.
“Does a movement mean raising slogans calling for the breakup of India, attacking journalists, assaulting innocent pedestrians and vandalising shops? What kind of politics is this?” he said.
Bhattacharya claimed the BJP’s rally was aimed at exposing what he described as the “real face” of those involved in the protests.
“We appeal to parents not to allow their children to mix with those raising ‘Kashmir Mange Azadi’ slogans or with the ‘tukde tukde gang’. Keep them away from such politics. What happened that day was not a student movement,” he said.
He also issued a warning against anti-national slogans, saying, “Any democratic movement can continue. But if someone raises slogans like ‘Bharat Tere Tukde Honge‘, the police will deal with them appropriately.”
The BJP leader also criticised CPI(M) leader Srijan Bhattacharyya over his remarks on criticism of the Prime Minister and other elected representatives. Responding to Srijan Bhattacharyya’s reported observation that criticising or even disrespecting photographs of the Prime Minister or elected ministers was not an offence, Bhattacharya said the Left has lost its political relevance in West Bengal.
“The Left has been reduced to zero in Bengal. They survive through nightly television debates and political discussions in the media. The more they criticise, the more space they may get in television talk shows. But the people of Bengal will no longer make them MLAs or ministers,” he said.
Bhattacharya also commented on the controversy surrounding the Adinath mosque in Malda after some Hindu organisations announced plans to install a Shivling and perform religious rituals near the site.
Rejecting the description of the structure as the Adinath mosque, he asserted, “It is not the Adinath mosque; it is the Adinath temple.”
Asked about reports that a Hindu organisation had planned a Rudrabhishek programme within 50 metres of the disputed structure, Bhattacharya said he was unaware of the specific programme but maintained that the site was originally a Hindu temple. Displaying photographs, he claimed that several architectural features of the structure contained images and motifs associated with Lord Shiva, Adinath and other Hindu deities.
According to him, these indicated that the mosque had been constructed over an ancient Adinath temple. He added that the matter is currently pending before a court and would ultimately be decided through the judicial process.