Updated: September 15, 2020 7:16:47 pm
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a press conference, at Nabanna Sabhaghar in Kolkata, on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. (Photo / PTI Archive)
On Monday (September 14), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a monthly allowance of 1,000 rupees and free housing for 8,000 poor Sanatan Brahmin priests in the state. Priests are likely to start receiving their allowance during Durga Puja, Bengal’s biggest festival, Banerjee said.
The move to extend financial assistance to Brahmin purohits comes ahead of the 2021 State Assembly elections, and at a time when the ruling Trinamool Congress is facing a major challenge from the BJP.
Allegations of Muslim ‘appeasement’
In April 2012, a little less than a year after coming to power, the Chief Minister had announced an allocation of 2,500 rupees each for imams and 1,500 rupees each for muezzins who give the aazaan or call to prayer. The opposition, especially the BJP, had criticized the state government’s move and accused it of surrendering to minority appeasement.
The then state secretary general of the BJP, Asim Sarkar, had challenged that decision in the Calcutta High Court which, in September 2013, rejected the subsidy as unconstitutional and contrary to the public interest. Subsequently, the monthly awards were sent through the Wakf State Board.
However, no such provisions were made for Hindu priests, leaving room for a political campaign directed against Trinamool’s alleged anti-Hindu bias. Mamata chose not to directly address the demands of the Brahmin priests and instead shifted his focus to Gangasagar Mela and lobbied for its overall development. Thousands of pilgrims gather on Sagar Island during Makar Sankranti each year to take a dip at the point where the Hooghly falls in the Bay of Bengal and to offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram.
Politically, the Trinamool continued to criticize the BJP for celebrating Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti across the state, further widening the gap between the party and a section of the Hindu electorate, many of whom were North Indians settled in Bengal. In 2017, Mamata announced that the immersion of Durga’s idols would stop for Muharram, a step taken to ensure there were no law and order situations, but which was not well received by a section of Hindus, and gave the BJP new ammunition. policies. against his government.
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After the 2019 elections, a change
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections marked a paradigm shift in state politics. The BJP did exceptionally well, winning 18 seats and receiving 40.3 percent of the vote. During the campaign and afterwards, he carried out sustained attacks against the Trinamool, accusing it of appeasing Muslims and neglecting the feelings of the Hindu community. The TMC did poorly in seats with sizable SC and ST votes, and in seats with significant numbers of Hindi-speaking people.
Under fire from the saffron brigade, the TMC government took note of the discontent of Hindu voters.
In August 2019, the Paschim Banga Rajya Sanatan Brahmin Trust organized a one-of-a-kind rally in the heart of Kolkata, where thousands of purohit Brahmins gathered to push for a nine-point letter of demands.
Priests take part in a demonstration to press for their demands in Kolkata on Friday. (Photo / PTI Archive)
The demands included a stipend for purohits who were senior citizens, monthly stipends for working purohits, houses for homeless Brahmins, proof of identity for the community, providing Sanskrit education in class 5 schools, and establishing ‘tols’ or educational institutes for children. of the Brahmins.
The event was attended by the Minister of State, Rajib Banerjee, who promised stipends, houses and health insurance to Brahmin purohits.
Also in August last year, the TMC government had announced a financial aid of Rs 10,000 for each of the 28,000 Durga Puja committees spread out across the state, and a 25% reduction in energy tariffs for the pandals of bid.
There were also efforts to break the BJP’s claim to be the sole representative of Hindu interests and to bring back traditional Hinduism. In January this year, the Birbhum district TMC led by Anubrata Mondal organized a first day of “Brahmin Purohit Sammelan” (Brahmin Priests Convention) in Bolpur to highlight the misinterpretations of Hinduism by the BJP. Each of the priests was congratulated with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a shawl, and photographs of Sarada Ma and Sri Ramakrishna.
Mamata announced an insurance policy of Rs 5 lakh for all people visiting Gangasagar Mela. She accused the Center of not providing funds for the Mela, even when it was providing financial aid for the Kumbh Mela.
During this year’s Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti festivals, TMC leaders held demonstrations.
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An ongoing fight with the BJP
On August 5, the day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Ayodhya for the Ram Temple bhoomi pujan ceremony, the Mamata government announced a state shutdown as part of its ongoing efforts to stop the spread of the new coronavirus infection. .
But the BJP seized the moment politically, accusing the TMC government of specifically choosing August 5 as one of the closing days to prevent the party and its supporters from celebrating the bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya. In a virtual conference, the national president of the BJP, JP Nadda, recently accused the Mamata government of having an “anti-Hindu mentality” and to pursue policies of appeasement of minorities.
Why are Brahmin priests important?
The announcement comes in the context of the BJP attacks. It is clear from TMC’s government approach that it is taking the BJP seriously. As the Assembly elections approach, the term of the second Mamata government ending on May 30, 2021, the party seeks the support of the majority of the Hindu community.
Brahmin priests as a group are considered to have influence in the wider Hindu community, and could potentially help lean towards the TMC, a section of the Hindu vote that would otherwise go to the BJP. Through this measure, the state government also seeks to shed its image of a government that appeases minorities for votes and send a message of inclusion.
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The 2019 Lok Sabha elections showed a small margin of just 3 percentage points between the TMC (43.3%) and BJP (40.3%) voting quotas. It is essential that the Trinamool Congress put a greater distance between the BJP and itself if it wants to give itself some degree of comfort in the face of the Assembly elections. In the months after Durga Puja (in October), as the political battle escalates, other similar signals can be expected for the Hindu community from the government.
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