Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary marred by political spat between TMC and BJP in West Bengal

Kolkata: The celebration of Swami Vivekananda's 161st birth anniversary on Friday in the city was marred by a political spat between the ruling TMC and opposition BJP over Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on TMC minister's and MLA's residences in connection with the civic recruitment scam.

BJP leaders accused the TMC of corruption, which elicited sharp and prompt retort from the ruling party.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a social media post expressed her reverence for Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary, a day designated as the National Youth Day across the country.

A rally was held by the TMC women's wings in the metropolis to uphold Swami Vivekananda's teachings on religious harmony, while leaders of political parties and general people paid their respects to the monk at his ancestral house in the city.

The celebratory atmosphere was, however, marred by ED raids at the residences of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose, TMC MLA Tapas Roy and another TMC leader.

These raids, part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in civic body recruitments, sparked off a political spat.

Seizing the opportunity presented by the ED search, the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who paid his respects at the monk's ancestral home in central Kolkata, accused the TMC of overseeing a corrupt regime in the state.

"The TMC is one of the most corrupt governments that the state has ever seen. The ED officials are conducting raids as they have some solid evidence against those involved in the civic recruitment scam," he said during an interaction with reporters at the venue.

Adhikari also advised Bose to keep his "bags packed", asserting that he "is going to have a long stay in jail."

The remark triggered a prompt and sharp response from the TMC which accused him of politicising the incident.

Senior TMC leader and minister Shashi Panja condemned Adhikari's comment. "The remarks reflect that BJP actually has no respect for noted personalities from Bengal. Since morning we are seeing a barrage of verbal volleys and political statements being made by BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, when they came to pay their token tributes to Swami Vivekananda for the purpose of catching the media's attention. It reflects their mindset and intellect."

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who too paid a visit to Vivekananda's ancestral house, refrained from making any political comments. "I am here to pay my respects. This is not the place for a political duel. If some one makes political remarks at this place, then it reflects hi or her mindset. If I have to make any political statement then there are other places to do so."

The TMC posted on X, "Remembering Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary, the TMC Women Wing organized a rally to uphold his teachings on religious harmony and self-realization. The event was led by President Smt @Chandrimaaitc and Chairperson Smt. @MalaRoyAITC and aimed to celebrate Swamiji and his enduring wisdom."

Senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya remarked, "In the present circumstances when the values of secularism and harmony are under threat, we need to take lessons from the teachings of Swami Vivekananda."