When violence broke out against Hindus during Durga Puja in Bangladesh, PM Sheikh Hasina, ruling party, media and opposition spoke in one voice to condemn it.
Last year, before Bengal elections, BJP participated in Durga Puja festivities with fanfare. This time, leaders claim they’re lying low because of Trinamool ‘intimidation’.
Since the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, the party has been known to dominate and influence Durga Puja committees, with a tight control and command structure.
Over the past year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been working to distance herself from ‘pro-Muslim’ tag that the BJP had bestowed on her.
There is a strong fear of a surge in Covid cases in several states in the upcoming months due to the ongoing festival season. The government has also flagged concerns about it.
What is Shiv Sena’s ideology? We might say it’s been a convenient mix of extreme ethnic chauvinism & unforgiving Hindutva. Within the second, the party retained space to manoeuvre.