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CPI(M)’s Mohammed Salim says Left opposes religious imposition, not religion.
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He accuses BJP of using faith to divide Bengalis for political gain.
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Salim says the government should focus on jobs, education and social security.
CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim on Sunday said the Left was opposed to the imposition of religion, not religion itself, and accused the BJP of using faith to divide people along communal lines.
Addressing a rally of the party’s youth wing, DYFI, at Esplanade in central Kolkata, Salim said attempts to dictate the lifestyle and behaviour of Bengalis would not succeed.
“It is not easy to change the lifestyle and the behaviour of the people of Bengal. If anyone thinks they will do so by bringing some so-called gurus from outside, they are mistaken,” he said.
Salim was referring to recent remarks by Bageshwar Dham head priest Dhirendra Krishna Shastri on eating non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja.
The CPI(M)’s West Bengal unit secretary said the Left was not opposed to religion but to attempts to impose religious practices.
“We are against religion imposition,” he said.
“The government’s job is not to propagate any religion, but to run schools and colleges, provide job opportunities to the unemployed, develop infrastructure, and provide social security to the people,” Salim said.
He accused the BJP of instrumentalising faith to polarise communities and also criticised former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that she had used religion for political gains.
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