Kolkata Municipal Corporation drops Vishwakarma Puja, extends Eid break, issues revised order after BJP cries 'appeasement'
Times of India | 27 February 2025
A notice modifying holidays for Hindi-medium KMCP schools by Kolkata Municipal Corporation sparked political controversy, with BJP accusing the TMC government of appeasement. NEW DELHI: A notice issued by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) regarding holiday changes for Hindi-medium KMCP schools has triggered a political controversy, with the BJP accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of appeasement.
On February 25, KMC issued a memorandum (Memo No. 025/KMC/Edn/2025) revising the holiday list for its Hindi-medium schools, scrapping the holiday for Vishwakarma Puja and extending the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday from one day to two.
However, after facing backlash, the civic body issued a corrigendum (Memo No. 026/KMC/Edn/2025) on February 26, cancelling the earlier notification, citing "typographical errors and procedural lapses."
KMC officials clarified that the original order had been issued without approval from the competent authority.
In a statement, the civic body said it had taken the matter seriously and that action was being initiated against the official responsible for the lapse. A revised holiday list, it assured, would be published in line with the state government’s official calendar.
BJP slams TMC over 'appeasement'
The development, however, quickly turned political, with BJP leaders accusing the TMC government of favouring a particular community for electoral gains.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya took to X (formerly Twitter), launching a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee’s administration.
"Welcome to Mamata Banerjee’s Islamic Caliphate of West Bengal," Malviya posted, alleging that the Chief Minister had arbitrarily altered OBC reservations to benefit Muslims and was now interfering with school holidays. He claimed that KMC’s now-cancelled notice was a continuation of the TMC’s “anti-OBC mindset,” further asserting that Banerjee’s policies were detrimental to both Hindus and Muslims.
Malviya also targeted Firhad Hakim, a senior TMC leader and Kolkata’s mayor, alleging that he had personally influenced the holiday decision. "Hakim, a modern-day Suhrawardy, has scrapped Vishwakarma Puja—significant for Hindus, especially OBCs—and instead extended Eid-ul-Fitr holidays," Malviya wrote.
The BJP West Bengal unit also echoed similar sentiments in its tweet, stating, "Mamata Banerjee’s Muslim appeasement is destroying West Bengal’s social fabric. If she continues in office, in a few years, it will be difficult to recognize whether our Bengal is still the land of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee…"
Show-cause notice to KMC official
KMC authorities have served a show-cause notice to the official responsible for issuing the contentious order. The municipal commissioner’s statement reiterated that the civic body had not approved the holiday changes and that disciplinary action would be taken.
BJP West Bengal general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay questioned the timing of the rollback, stating that KMC only acted after public outrage. "It is hard to believe that municipal officials were unaware of this decision beforehand," he said, citing a recent high court order that mandated police protection for Saraswati Puja celebrations in a south Kolkata college.
(With inputs from PTI)
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