West Bengal minister and TMC leader Udayan Guha criticized a Gita recitation event at Kolkata's historic Brigade Parade Ground, characterizing it as "political" and accusing the BJP of attempting to secure Hindu votes through it. The BJP refuted this claim, asserting that three apolitical organizations had organized the event.
Guha contended that such politics was unpopular among the people of India, especially Bengalis, and suggested that a sports event would have been more beneficial for young people than a Gita recitation.
The gathering, attended by one lakh participants chanting from the Bhagavad Gita in Kolkata, was organized by the "Ek Lokho Konthe Geeta Path" committee, an association of three organizations. While not officially a BJP program, several prominent BJP leaders from Bengal participated, including Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Suvendu Adhikari, State BJP president Sukanta Majumder, MP Dilip Ghosh, and Locket Chatterjee.
TMC leader Shashi Panja criticized the BJP's involvement, suggesting that the party was disrespecting Bengal's icons like Swami Vivekananda by misinterpreting his teachings on the importance of physical activity over spiritual study.
Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar refuted the allegations, emphasizing that it was not a BJP program but a collective effort by three different organizations to celebrate India's and Bengal's cultural heritage.
Amidst the event, BJP National Secretary Anupam Hazra raised concerns over corruption allegations related to VIP passes being sold for Rs 1000, as reported by a Facebook user. Hazra called for a probe into the matter, expressing his disappointment over potential corruption even in a Gita recitation event.
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his best wishes to the "Lokkhe Konthe Gita Path" gathering, he could not attend the event as expected. He expressed optimism that the collective recitation of the Bhagavad Gita would foster social harmony and energize the nation's development journey.
