BJP has decided to celebrate the achievements of Bengal renaissance icon Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar across the state. Party sources revealed that the move is aimed at countering “anti-Bengali” tag labeled on them by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the vandalising of the Vidyasagar’s statue during the Lok Sabha elections.
Sources said that the move is aimed at ensuring that the party does not face the same predicament as it did in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The saffron party failed to win even one seat out of the nine which went to polls in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections following the vandalising of Vidyasagar’s statue on May 14 during Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata.
“ A large section of party leaders believe that the incident cost us dearly and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee utilised it to turn the table on us at least in the last phase,” a senior state BJP said.
The saffron party has decided to hold several programs across the state celebrating the 200th birth anniversary of Vidyasagar and his achievements. BJP will also celebrate his achievements at his birthplace Birsingha village in the West Medinipur district.
“ We will celebrate his birth anniversary at his birthplace. Similar programs will be held in the district,” said BJP leader Bharati Ghosh, a former IPS officer who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket.
Union Minister of State on Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel paid tribute to the legendary social reformer at a party program in Kolkata.
The development comes at a time when the Chief Minister has launched a year-long celebration marking the 200th birth anniversary of Vidyasagar.
BJP is so keen to project itself as the champion of Bengali culture that it has decided to launch a drive to clean all the statues of Bengal’s luminaries across the state from October 11.