Days after communal tension in West Bengal’s Malda district, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged people not to fall for provocations that could incite communal violence and emphasised her government’s commitment to protecting social harmony.
Addressing an Eid event in Kolkata, Banerjee targeted the BJP’s “divisive politics”, saying the Opposition party’s “ganda dharam” was against the tenets of Hinduism. The remark drew criticism from the BJP, which accused her of “weaponising religion”. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief also alleged that the Left and the BJP had united against her but said it would not matter as she was “akela hi eksho (equal to a hundred people)”.
Banerjee advised the Muslim community not to engage with attempts to instigate violence. “If they tell you something, remember that Didi stands with you … the entire government is with you. Do not believe they can do anything to you. If they want to shout and scream, let them,” the CM said.
Last week, Internet services were suspended and prohibitory orders were issued in the Mothabari area and surrounding areas of Malda following clashes between two communities. On March 29, a senior police official urged people not to pay heed to rumours and incitement on social media, and warned “miscreants” against trying to foment trouble during Eid and Ram Navami.
Hitting out at the BJP, Banerjee said, “I follow the religion followed by Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda. I don’t follow the ganda dharam made by the ‘jumla party (BJP)’, they are even against the Hindu dharam.”
The CM emphasised her party’s commitment to secularism and took aim at the Left. “Navratri is going on and I extend my best wishes for that as well. But we do not want any communal violence. Common people are not behind such incidents, political parties do it. This is a matter of shame … Jo Lal party pehle secularism ka baat karta tha, aaj woh lal aur gerua ek ho gaya hai, hone do. Humlog rahega, hum akela hi rahega, hum akela hi eksho hai (The Left that used to talk of secularism has joined forces with the saffron party. Rest assured, I will stand my ground, I am equal to a hundred people).”
The TMC chief went on to say, “In some places, some communities are majority and some minority. The duty of the majority is to protect the minority and the duty of the minority is to co-exist with the majority. This is our tradition … I am ready to give my life but won’t deviate from this ideology … Abuse me as much as you want, I do not care. I pray for all religions, castes, and communities … If they (BJP) have problems with the minorities, let’s see if they can attempt to change the Constitution.”
Referring to the March 27 incident at the University of Oxford in which a group of activists, including some from CPI(M)-affiliated Students’ Federation of India (SFI), tried to interrupt her speech, Banerjee said, “‘Bam aur Ram (Left and BJP)’ came together from Kolkata. They asked me, ‘Are you Hindu?’ I told them with pride, I am Hindu, I am Muslim, I am Sikh, I am Christian, I am Indian. What can you do?”
Targeting Banerjee, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, posted on X, “Appeasing the Muslim community at Red Road with your almost incomprehensible gibberish Urdu dialect, you made a statement that you don’t follow the ‘Ganda Dharm‘ or ‘Dirty Religion’. Which religion were you specifically referring to? Sanatan Hindu Dharma? What kind of provocative speech did you deliver… on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr? You uttered the words ‘Danga’ & Riots more than you repeated the word Eid. Was it a religious event or a political programme? Why were you deliberately mongering hate with the deliberate intention of creating animosity between communities? Ms Mamata Banerjee, you are the one who weaponizes religion. It will boomerang on you very soon.”