The West Bengal unit of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has initiated a special internal review to assess and review the impact of religious rituals on the daily lives of the party members.
The idea behind the survey is to know “how far the grassroots level party workers and leaders are sticking to the original party ideology by practicing ‘atheism’ – be it in terms of participation in the community Pujas or following rituals as per religious prescriptions in social functions like marriages”, a source in the know of things said.
At the same time, the party leadership is also trying to understand “how far the grassroots-level comrades are able to avoid extravaganza or display of luxury again on social occasions like marriages”.
Based on the feedback received from the workers and leaders at the grassroots level, the matter will be discussed in detail at the extended state committee meeting of the party in November.
As per traditions, Indian Marxists have always maintained a distance from participating in religious functions or community Pujas, unlike their counterparts in the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Instead, during the four days of Durga Puja, the party leadership utilise the occasion as a public relations exercise by setting up stalls of Marxist literature near the popular Puja pandals.
Although, as a general practice, the top CPI-M leaders used to avoid getting associated with or participate in inauguration of any community Puja or openly practicing religion in public, former West Bengal minister, Subhas Chakhraborty — a Leftist, was an exception. Besides participating in community Pujas in his constituency, he had also hit the headlines after he was seen offering Puja at the iconic Tarapith Kali Temple in Birbhum district.
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