Calling for a unified fight against communalism, 17 Leftist parties took out a rally here on Saturday to commemorate the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.
Leftist parties, such as the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Forward Bloc, Socialist Communist Party of India (Communist), etc. participated in the rally, which originated at Mahajati Sadan, Chittaranjan Avenue in central Kolkata and ended in the Academy of Fine Arts in Rabindra Sadan area.
Terming the BJP as a hardcore communal party, Left leaders said the demolition of the mosque was an attack on India’s unity and an effort to win the confidence of the Hindu vote bank.
The Left parties are the ‘backbone’ of a unified fight against communalism, leaders said.
Referring to the burning down of St. Sebastian’s Church in Delhi on December 1, Polit Bureau Member and State Secretary of CPI(M) Biman Basu recalled an earlier attack on another church in Delhi allegedly by workers of the Hindu fundamentalist group Bajrang Dal.
“Certain parties and organisations like the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh view issues through a communal lens. Workers across various sectors — railways, coal, banking — are agitating against various anomalies. At a time like this, religious intolerance and communalism is creating further issues among the workers,’ Mr. Basu said.
The ruling All India Trinamool Congress also held a public meeting in the city to protest against the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Attacking Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he questioned why Ms. Banerjee was protesting against the Babri Masjid demolition for the past two years.
“Why has she [Ms. Banerjee] been holding a meeting for the past few years? Why not earlier?” Mr. Basu asked and added that Ms. Banerjee was then a member of the Congress.
