West Bengal: TMC slams BJP's Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan for performing ‘wrong’ Ganga Aarti

Kolkata: Amid the claims by the West Bengal BJP that the ruling Trinamool Congress is not allowing the saffron camp to hold the Ganga Aarti, the TMC on Friday posted a video of BJP Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan performing a ‘wrong’ Ganga Aarti in Bishnupur on Thursday late evening. It alleged that the BJP ‘hurt the religious sentiments of the people’.

“While BJP State President Dr Sukanta claimed the 'Ganga Aarti' was not permitted, Bengal BJP MP Saumitra Khan performed the aarti but incorectly. First, did BJP contradict their own claim? Second, how many more times will the BJP disrespect the religious beliefs of people?” tweeted the official handle of Trinamool Congress.

TMC Minister Partha Bhowmick said, “By performing wrong Ganga Aarti (anticlockwise), Khan has hurt the beliefs of common people and have also proven state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar’s claim wrong that TMC does not permit BJP to perform Ganga Aarti,” said Bhowmick.

A couple of days back, Majumdar, along with other BJP workers, had performed Ganga Aarti without permission before being detained by the police.

On Thursday, even the BJP Bishnupur MP bagged triggered controversy when he claimed he felt Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the ‘reincarnation’ of Swami Vivekananda.

Taking further potshots at Khan, the TMC minister said Vivekananda was the one who had spread teachings of Ramakrishan Paramhansa.

“Ramakrishna Paramhansa believed in ‘Joto Mot, Toto Poth’ (as many faiths, as many paths). Vivekananda had spread the teachings of Ramakrishna who believed in unity of all religions. Then how can Khan compare Vivekananda with Modi as Modi believes in only one religion,” questioned Bhowmick.