KOLKATA: Central Kolkata came to a standstill on Thursday as the West Bengal government organised a march to express gratitude to UNESCO for giving Durga Puja a heritage tag. The event turned to be a political extravaganza of the ruling party and a reply to BJP’s allegation accusing the ruling TMC of restricting Hindu festivals.
Organised a month ahead of Durga Puja, the event, political observers say, was the TMC’s desperate attempt to woo the sentiment of Bengalis riding on the festival season. Taking a jibe at Thursday’s event and CM Mamata Banerjee, BJP’s Amit Malviya said she can take no credit for the UNESCO’s heritage tag.
A political observer said, “The BJP has accused TMC of restricting people of Bengal from celebrating Hindu festivals. Thursday’s march appeared to be an attempt to blunt BJP’s allegation, and divert attention from the corruption cases faced by TMC leaders.’’At the event’s end, Mamata said, “In Bengal, we celebrate festivals of all communities.’’