Sitaram Yechury

Kolkata : Describing as “unthinkable” and “painful” the lynching of two persons in West Bengal for transporting cows in pick-up vans, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday blamed the “competitive communalism” of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP for such happenings.

“It’s unthinkable that such things can happen in West Bengal,” Yechury told media persons here.

The two victims – Hafizul Sheikh and Anwar Hussain – were beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of cattle smuggling on Sunday at Jharsalboni area near Dhupguri in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district.

“I find it painful… this is a result of the competitive communalism of the Trinamool and the BJP in order to bring about a communal polarisation,” he said.

Yechury also castigated the Trinamool government for barring immersion of Durga puja idols on the Ashura or the 10th day of Muharram – October 1.

“It is only aimed at appeasing minorities. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party is stoking majority communalism,” he said.

Banerjee has announced that the Durga Puja immersion would be allowed on Dussehra/Dashami, September 30, but not on October 1 as Muslims would observe Ashura, a day of mourning in the month of Muharram on that day. However, the immersions would be resume on October 2 and could take place till October 4.

Yechury said instead of “differentiating and interfering”, the state government should facilitate meetings of the leaders of the two communities so that they could find a solution themselves.

“They took a similar decision last year. These decisions are only allowing the BJP to grow,” he said.

—IANS