Durga Puja bookstall row: Adhikari tells Left parties to sell books from offices
His remarks came amid allegations by the CPI(M), SUCI and other Left parties that their bookstalls were vandalised at several places across West Bengal during the festival.
“We are all book lovers and are not against books. But if you do not offer pushpanjali or attend the Navami aarti, accept religious symbols such as the sacred thread and tilak, and oppose Sanatani Hindu traditions, why should you set up bookstalls in front of Durga Puja pandals?” Adhikari told reporters, according to PTI.
The CPI(M) has moved the Calcutta High Court, alleging that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the police tried to remove a temporary bookstall set up by the party in Jadavpur during the Durga Puja festivities.
Adhikari made the remarks outside the home of a person who died in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja in north Kolkata on October 17. Nineteen people died and 25 others were injured in the incident.
On Tuesday, he met the relatives of three of those who died and handed over an ex-gratia payment of Rs 25 lakh to each grieving family.
Referring to the CPI(M), Adhikari said the party had lost relevance in West Bengal and there was no need to make it politically relevant.
“Those who do not believe in Durga Puja or other forms of worship, and do not accept the Vedas, Upanishads or the Bhagavad Gita, should not be allowed to sell books during Durga Puja,” he said.
“Anyone interested in Marxist philosophy can visit Left party offices and buy books. We believe in Indian philosophy, which is much richer. We believe in the philosophies of Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda. We view the Bhagavad Gita not merely as a religious text, but also as a source of scientific knowledge,” Adhikari said.
He said Left parties had around 4,000 to 5,000 offices where they could sell books. He also criticised them over the Chorbagan stampede, alleging that their leaders had neither visited the injured in hospital nor met the affected families.
Adhikari's comments linked the dispute over Left parties' bookstalls during Durga Puja with their response to the Chorbagan stampede, even as the CPI(M) pursued its complaint over the Jadavpur stall in the Calcutta High Court.- Ends
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