The huge procession from Mahajati Sadan to Rabindra Sadan organized by 17 leftist parties, and various mass organizations including our SFI yet again testified the fact that the people of Kolkata, the students and youths of the city and its suburbs have sustained their deep hatred against the communal divisive forces, and have remained upright in their voice for communal harmony. This procession was intended since the anti-communalism convention held on 13th November. When the march which began at 2:30 PM reached its destination at Rabindra Sadan, the tail was yet to cross the Victoria House in Dharmatala. Such was the spontaneous participation in the march. One among the many was Abdul Rashid, a jewellery worker, who had lost one of his legs in the riot that followed the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. There was Sushanta Das who lost his eyes in that very riot.

The day, which is actually a Black Day in the Indian history for the demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in 1992, is being commemorated every year by us to take a firm resolution against the hate politics perpetrated by the communal forces. Com. Biman Bose, Com. Manjukumar Majumdar, Com. Azizul Haq, Com. Ashok Ghosh, Com. Mihir Bayen, Com. Janmenjay Ojha, Com. Ashim Chatterjee, Com. Debaprasad Sarkar, Com. Partha Ghosh were among the various left leadership who led the march. Festoons, banners, posters in Bengali, Urdu and Hindi, and the warm reception of people from both sides of the procession showed the city’s deep love and respect for communal harmony. Though police tried to disrupt and interrupt the march at various occasions, yet the march went on its designated route unperturbed. This attempt of the police to disrupt the march raised eyebrows among many if it was a ploy of the ruling party.

Com. Biman Bose reminded us that though the Trinamool Congress is commemorating this day, yet they are doing this only for 2 years. Why were they silent earlier? Even the Congress had kept its mouth shut in 1992 when the Left leadership repeatedly alarmed it of the lurking danger of communal forces and alerted the danger of vandalism to be unleashed by the ‘karsevaks’ on the Babri Masjid. Com. Bose also alarmed that BJP is not the only name of these communal forces. There are Bajrang Dal, RSS to add with it. Recently, they had set ablaze a church in Delhi. Their attempt is to divide the working class, and divert the people from the real problems. While the bank, coal and railway employees and workers have led successful strikes against the anti-people policies of the centre, the communal forces are trying to divert the attention of the media and the people with irrelevant issues and hate politics. Democracy is being stifled in our state; leftist workers are being implicated in false cases. The Trinamool workers who are attacking the modesty of the women and girls are being set free.

Though the communal forces attempted to establish Hindutwa by vandalising the Babri Masjid 22 years ago, yet the people of India have not allowed them to disturb its secular heritage. And the Narendra Modi government would also fail miserably in its attempt to establish a “Hindu rashtra” (Hindu nation). The people of West Bengal have never allowed these divisive communal forces, and would preserve its long-standing fight as the vanguards of communal harmony and class struggle.

06 December 2014