Kolkata: For decades, the Marxists sold Left literature during Durga Puja. Now out of power, the Communists are struggling to get people to run the stalls. And many locals are staying away.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has also complained of violence unleashed by the ruling Trinamool Congress in several pockets to prevent the stalls from coming up.
As Durga Puja celebrations peak, the changed political equation in the state has started biting the CPI-M hard.
For long, the Marxists used Durga Puja as a platform to popularise Marxist literature. Stalls outside Puja marquees across the state did brisk sales.
On sale would be classical works of Lenin, Stalin and Marx besides writings and speeches of Indian Communists. CPI-M supporters would manage the booths.
In power for 34 years, the Marxists had become accustomed to crowds. The occasion was also used by hangers-on trying to strike a rapport with party leaders and activists.
Not this time.
"This year the rush to our stalls is really quite low, maybe due to the changed political scenario," admitted Badal Singha, at a stall in South Kolkata`s Bhowanipore area.
"We couldn`t find enough men to manage the stalls. Earlier there used to be a rush," said a local committee member of the CPI-M in Dum Dum area.
Bacchu, overseeing a stall in Kolkata`s Lake Town area, complained that there were few buyers now.
The CPI-M, founded in 1964, is India`s biggest Communist party. It now rules Tripura and is the main opposition in West Bengal and Kerala. It was in power in West Bengal from June 1977 to May this year.
Since losing power in May, the CPI-M has accused the Mamata Banerjee government of fomenting violence against Communist supporters and leaders, besides forcibly closing down party offices.
"In most places such as West and East Midnapore districts and parts of Hooghly and Burdwan, most of our party offices are shut. So there we could put up only a few stalls," said a CPI-M source.
Incidents of ransacking of stalls by alleged Trinamool supporters and their hostile opposition to the stalls in many parts of West Bengal have been published in the CPI-M mouthpiece `Ganashakti`
"Still we have managed to put up stalls in most areas where there were problems," said CPI-M state secretariat member Rabin Deb.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.