Left parties have the right to set up bookstalls, and those vandalising them are cowards, RSS leader Jishnu Basu said on Monday amid allegations by leftists that their stalls near Durga Puja pandals have been destroyed by people claiming allegiance to the saffron brigade.
He asserted that the ethos of Hindutva allows others to express their opinion, and said, "Those indulging in such acts (vandalising bookstalls) are indirectly causing severe damage to an ideology."
Maintaining that the people of West Bengal united against the pride of power in the assembly elections and defeated the Trinamool Congress to bring the BJP to power, Basu said, "It is our duty to respect people's mandate."
"The CPI(M), CPI and SUCI have the right to set up bookstalls, unless they are indulging in any act that may endanger a life," said the RSS Saha Khetra Prachar Pramukh of South Bengal.
There is no masculinity in vandalising bookstalls, and those who attack these stalls are cowards, Basu said.
The Left parties have claimed that bookstalls set up by them near Durga puja pandals at various places in the state have been vandalised by people claiming allegiance to the saffron brigade.
"It has been alleged that police were also being deployed in many cases to remove these bookstalls," he said and pointed out that bookstalls set up by the RSS were vandalised during the Left and Trinamool Congress rule.
In some cases, RSS workers had been assaulted by ruling party goons, but that did not deter them from setting up such stalls again, Basu recalled
"If someone understands the ethos of Bharat and Hindus, they would know that it is not only about tolerance but also about accepting the ideals of others and giving them freedom to express their opinion," the RSS leader said.
He said that those who are not allowing others to set up bookstalls or express their opinions have not understood the meaning of Bharat. "They are not fit to call themselves Hindus," Basu said.
(With inputs from PTI)
