Twice in a month the BJP again offered floral tribute to the same statue of a tribal hunter in Bankura town on the day of the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda – a freedom fighter and a tribal hero of the 19 th century.

On last 5 November, Union Minister Amit Shah had kicked off his two days political trip to Bengal offering flowers to the statue on NH 60 at Pohabagan crossing in Bankura town, which the BJP had claimed was representing Birsa. He described Birsa as Bhagwan (God). After the district tribal committees had expressed annoyance, the BJP had stuck Birsa’s photograph beneath the statue, which too had earned criticism.

Advertisement

The Trinamul Congress, within a couple of days of Shah’s trip had washed the statue with milk and water contending that Shah ‘actually had hurt the respect of both the tribal community and Birsa.’

Derek O’Brien, MP and Trinamul Congress’s Minority Cell chief also had slammed BJP and tweeted: “Amit Shah is so ignorant of Bengal’s culture that he insulted Bhagwan Birsa Munda by garlanding a wrong idol and placed his photo at someone else’s foot. Will he ever respect Bengal?”

Today, on Birsa’s 146th birth anniversary, the district Scheduled Tribe Morcha of the BJP accompanied by MP, Bankura, Subhas Sarkar arranged a programme to honour Birsa aiming to woo the tribal mind.

The statue was washed with cow-dung water following the tribal tradition. Baidyanath Hansda – the president of BJP’s district ST Morcha and Sarkar then offered flower to the statue and both the leaders passionately claimed: “This is the actual statue of Birsa Munda and there shouldn’t be any controversy about it.”

Sarkar said: “I was invited to attend the birthday celebration by the Morcha and I think this statue certainly was erected to show respect to none other than Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The Trinamul Congress is unnecessarily creating this an issue.”

Shyamal Santra-state minister and president of the Trinamul Congress in Bankura ridiculed the BJP for ‘repeating the offence with an ulterior motive to malign the dignity of Bhagwan Birsa.’

The tribal organizations – Bharat Zakat Majhi Parghana Mahal and the Adivasi Socio Educational & Cultural Association (ASECA) ridiculed the BJP’s act. ASECA state general secretary Subodh Hansda said: “We belong to the oldest settlers in this country and the political leaders are deliberately maligning us by repeating the same offence further.” So claimed Sangiri Hembram-a district leader of Parghana Mahal.