Quite disappointing
Puja and politics: Pandals become voter outreach spot for all parties
Book stalls, health camps and water kiosks in Durga Puja pandals would now be a medium for political parties in Bengal to drum up support for the Lok Sabha elections.
Parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Congress are planning to set up book stalls in and around Durga Puja pandals to reach out to more people during the festive season.
While the practice of setting up book stalls to ramp up political outreach was first introduced by the undivided Communist Party of India in the 1950s but over the years more political parties have embraced it.
This year, the BJP would be setting up multiple book stalls in all 341 blocks of the state. BJP state office secretary Pranay Roy said the stalls would feature cut-outs and posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would inform people about his government’s achievements. “Apart from book stalls, we will set up health camps offering free health check-ups. Drinking water kiosks will also be set up in some places,” said Roy. The stalls would also sell books written by PM Modi and BJP ideologues Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and Deen Dayal Upadhaya, among others. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said, “Our MPs and MLAs will attend various events and interact with puja committees. This is a good time to interact with people and exchange festive greetings.”
The CPI(M), on the other hand, would be banking on books of German philosopher Karl Marx, former West Bengal Chief Minister and party veteran Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Mahatma Gandhi and other Left leaders at its stalls to strike a connect with voters.
Aniruddha Chakraborty, director and publisher of CPI(M)’s publishing house National Book Agency (NBA) Pvt. Ltd, said over 700 book stalls will be set up by the party outside puja mandaps in the state. “Last year too, we had set up about 700 stalls. We keep about 250 titles (books) in our stalls. This year, a new book on Mahatma Gandhi will be seen in our stalls. Besides, some old titles are being reprinted. There is always a huge demand for books by former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at stalls.”
Despite a shrinking political footprint in the state, the Congress will be cashing on the puja festivities to woo voters. “We will print the puja edition of our mouthpiece ‘The Congress Barta’ and distribute it among visitors to pandals. We will be setting up 20 -25 stalls which will keep books on Mahatma Gandhi and other Indian freedom fighters,” said Congress leader Ashok Bhattacharya.
Ever since coming to power in Bengal in 2011, the ruling Trinamool Congress has gone big on puja festivities. From CM Mamata Banerjee sending gifts to MLAs in the state to extending patronage to some of the biggest puja committees, Trinamool’s power play during puja season has been hard to miss. Several TMC leaders and state ministers are currently at the helm of puja committees. The list includes TMC heavyweights and state ministers like Firhad Hakim (Chetla Agrani), Chandrima Bhattacharya (Hindustan Club), Aroop Biswas (Suruchi Sangha), Subrata Mukherjee (Ekdalia Evergreen) and Sujit Bose (Sreebhumi Sporting).
Outside these pandals, it’s common to see books penned by CM Mamata Banerjee decked up on shelves at the stalls set up by TMC. The puja committees also highlight the welfare schemes rolled out by the state government at hoardings set up both inside and outside their pandals.
Since 2016, the Mamata government has been organising a Durga Puja carnival on Kolkata’s Red Road where around 100 top committees take out processions and showcase their idols.
Considered to be a fusion of religion and celebration, Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata were inscribed in UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In 2022, Trinamool took out a massive rally in the city to thank UNESCO for the heritage tag. TMC state vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar said, “Durga Puja is imbibed in TMC’s ideology. Our leaders are involved with many puja committees across the state.”
Santanu Chowdhury – 2023-10-12 01:14