The party has set up a stall at Gangasagar mela to publicise its activities before the panchayat elections in West Bengal
The party has set up a stall at Gangasagar mela to publicise its activities before the panchayat elections in West Bengal
KOLKATA: There was a time when words like capitalism and religion sent shivers down the spines of communists. Not anymore.
After CPI(M) veteran Jyoti Basu’s positive comments on capitalism, the party is taking resort to religion to expand its voters’ base. The ongoing Gangasagar mela, which has attracted a record number of pilgrims this year, has become a happy hunting ground for comrades.
To publicise the “good deeds” of the party ahead of the panchayat elections in the state, the CPI(M) has set up a bookstall at Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas, the venue for the Gangasagar mela. Called Marxist Book Stall, it is manned by young comrades, who are eagerly explaining to pilgrims the party’s stand on industrialisation.
Employment, they stressed, was the main reason why the party was advocating industrialisation. After all, the CPI(M) was a party for the common man, the comrades impressed upon the sadhus and pilgrims.
The stall also displays posters on why land acquisition is necessary for industrial growth. There are posters on how the Trinamool Congress-led Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee misled the people of Nandigram and unleashed a reign of terror in the village for about a year.
The propaganda does not end there. The pilgrims are told how the Left Front has established an effective “panchayati raj” in West Bengal and why they should be voted back to power in the panchayati elections.
A senior CPI(M) state committee leader confirmed that for the first time, the party had set up a stall at the mela.
“For the past few years, we have been setting up similar stalls at different Durga puja pandals in Kolkata. Our aim is to interact with people. We got a decent feedback at Gangasagar,” he said.
r_sumanta@dnaindia.net
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