Political bonhomie on Dol Jatra in Siliguri, festival celebrated across Bengal

Kolkata, Mar 3 (PTI) Amid ongoing political acrimony between the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP as the assembly polls in West Bengal draw near, a picture of bonhomie manifested in Siliguri with Mayor Gautam Deb of the TMC and MLA Sankar Ghosh of the saffron party exchanging greetings and smearing each other with 'gulaal' on the occasion of Dol Jatra on Tuesday.

The festival of colours was celebrated across the state on Dol Purnima, with people smearing one another with 'aabir' (gulaal) and other colours and exchanging sweets and savouries.

Deb said that the residents of Siliguri are culture-minded, humane and harmonious with nature.

"Everybody should live in harmony in this lively city without any division among the people, we want a united Siliguri," Deb, the mayor of the north Bengal city, said after exchanging greetings with Ghosh, the Siliguri MLA.

The BJP MLA said that all those involved in politics, whether veterans or the young students and youth activists, should feel that there may be differences of opinion, but the minds should not be affected by those.

"The best part of the festival of colours is that different hues mix together," he said.

Ghosh said that political parties are entities of different opinions and paths, but the festival of colours bring everyone together.

With the assembly elections in the state due soon, political acrimony has been on the rise among the different outfits.

TMC and BJP leaders also traded charges on the occasion, with Asansol South MLA Agnimitra Paul saying that women were not feeling safe in West Bengal due to "prevailing lawlessness".

"On this day, we pray for a West Bengal where women will not face assault, humiliation and abuse on the streets every other day, where people will not be terrorised and intimidated by hooligans sheltered by the ruling party," Paul told reporters on the sidelines of a Holi celebration in Kolkata.

"This cannot be our Bengal where ruling party functionaries do not show minimum respect to the rival party leaders and activists. This cannot be our Bengal where a woman doesn't face minimum respect on roads, where a woman is violated at her workplace, where the abusers brag about political patronage, where corruption by ruling party leaders have become the order of the day," she said.

Countering Paul, senior TMC leader and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said Holi has always been celebrated in West Bengal by rising above religious, political, linguistic or other differences.

"Unfortunately, the BJP is using an occasion like Dol Jatra as part of its false narrative to malign Bengal ahead of polls. Everyone knows the situation in BJP-ruled states, everyone knows about the safety of women under double-engine governments. This shows the sick depraved mindset of the BJP, which has no connection with the reality at the grassroots in West Bengal," Bhattacharya said.

The festival was celebrated with gaiety and religious fervour at Mayapur, the global headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Nabadwip and several other places in the state.

People of all ages were seen out on the streets of Kolkata and neighbouring Salt Lake from early morning making the most of the festival of colours. PTI AMR SUS ACD