r/india • u/bhodrolok • 21d ago
Attempts to polarise electorate on basis of religion didn’t work in secular Bengal: Shivprakash Politics
https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/bengals-secularism-dawns-on-bjp-leader/cid/182786611
u/fatmanbejones 21d ago
Translation: West bengal, tamil nadu and kerala were not gobar pradesh.
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u/GobhiHaiToPumpkinHai 21d ago
Gobar translation: West bengal, tamil nadu and kerala are not patriotic enough..
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u/katzensteiner 21d ago
Unlike in UP and Gujarat, Hindus and Muslims in Bengal have very little against each other. We Bengalis have faced the brunt of partition and we learned our lessons unlike the people of the cow belt. Cow-belt politicians won't understand us Bengalis and our culture and they cannot divide us. Animals like Cow and Ram don't make us kill each other.
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u/ApexPredator1995 21d ago
not just that. Bengal is very different in terms of religion itself.
Ram and stuff doesnt work here. We eat meat even during the durga pujas, something the bimaru will never do.
The culture is extremely different here, even in low income groups.
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u/chalkrow 20d ago
Cultural differences had a part to play. Half the state did not understand Modi in the first place owing to not speaking Hindi and the servile attitude of Bengal BJP leaders did not help. However religious differences does exist in both urban and rural Bengal.
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u/jphelpzz 20d ago
They even decorate the fish to present it then they feed it to all the people in marriage function
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u/chalkrow 20d ago edited 20d ago
This is utter nonsense and a very Kolkata centered view.
Polarisation in WB worked and worked miracles amongst a large section of population. Mamata Banerjee won by consolidating women (especially Dalit women) and Muslim votes. Every other strata of society voted for BJP - especially upper caste folks outside Kolkata. The second thing that went against the BJP is the lack of a local face and the dominant Hindi belt culture prevelant in the party. Many bengalis have a deep seated hatred towards the Kolkata Marwari community and view anyone speaking Hindi in the same light - uncultured and uncouth. Not having a local face hurt the BJP, because most people are intelligent enough to understand that Modiji himself won't come here to govern.
TMC's welfare schemes are a godsend for rural women - for eg, my house help's own son is part of BJP. But she and her daughter-in-law voted TMC. She has unquestionably done a lot for women, especially poor rural women who in turn have entrusted her with their votes.
Secondly, in any society - even "cow belt" society no more than 50% of Hindu population votes BJP. Caste, class all have a role in those places as well. Even in Bengal caste faultlines exist - with Dalit men, Matuas and some northern tribal populace choosing to vote BJP. BJP's extreme polarisation strategy works in places where Hindu's are nearly 80 percent of the population - thus polarising 50% of the Hindu vote ensures a vote majority. It didn't work in Bengal because WB has nearly 35% muslim population and this votebank consolidated and voted Mamata. Till 2019, TMC had little sway in Muslim heavy districts like Malda, Murshidabad which they swept in these elections (which, in turn has reduced CPM and INC to 0 seats in the assembly).
Lastly, animals like cow and Ram may not make you want to take up arms, but many Bengalis, especially Bengali Hindus did feel alienated and scared when Mallick Bazar area turned to rioting due to some nonsense Poonam Pandey had posted about Pakistani players, or when Tasleema Nasrin had to leave the city after clerics in a "secular" city issued a fatwa against her. Even if you take ISF and Abbas Siddiqui - his comments about Nusrat Jahan were lauded and listened to by a large section of Muslims. The deobandi movement has spread in parts of the state and if skirmishes like these are not dealt with swiftly and meaningfully, BJP's hateful, bigoted agenda will successfully turn Bengal saffron. BJP will go into overdrive to create a narrative that these are not promptly or adequately dealt with (like they are doing with post poll violence) and this in turn will prompt the Kolkata folks to turn to them. If Kolkata turns, there is no salvaging TMC in Bengal.
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u/ApexPredator1995 20d ago edited 20d ago
very Kolkata centered view
COnsidering the City and its surroundings produce the largest amount of GDP in the entire east [according to that map in the sub that day], dont be surprised if he "Kolkata centered view" rubs off in the near districts as well.
Remember, Kolkata, Hooghly and the 2 parganas have the largest vote share in all of Bengal. And all of them mostly have the same cultural and ideological values.
Politics is extremely ingrained in bengalis. Thoughts and views dont change that much between urban and rural areas here.
BJP will go into overdrive to create a narrative that these are not promptly or adequately dealt with (like they are doing with post poll violence) and this in turn will prompt the Kolkata folks to turn to them. If Kolkata turns, there is no salvaging TMC in Bengal.
lmao ok whatever lol. you seem the type who was absolutely sure BJP will win this time when i kept saying for months they wont and when they lose their power will reduce. it already has to a large extent
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u/chalkrow 20d ago
Again, this is not true.
Kolkata has a lot more educated, left liberal leaning voters than either of the 24 Parganas or Hooghly. Hooghly and Howrah as amatter of fact have large votebanks who are not Bengali at all (a huge percentage of them are Bihar/UP migrant labourers). Also GDP has very little to do with culture of districts.
Also lmao at me thinking BJP will win XD. I have commented on this subreddit that BJP will lose and will have a power crisis post losing, go and find that. But the nonsense of Bengali exceptionalism to religious divide is a pure invention of Kolkata based liberal circles and has zero to do with reality.
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u/ApexPredator1995 20d ago edited 20d ago
nope. you are the one wrong here.
One quick look at the election result map will prove my point.
EDIT: Furthermore, what you consider "liberal" rose in the end 60's early 70's as CPM cadres. They were ultra liberals and it was sure as hell not strictly consolidated in Kolkata.
In fact, it was much bigger in the Parganas than Kolkata itself. Its just they came to the protests in kolkata. Kolkata Hooghly and the two parganas share the ideologies to this day. And this area is what feeds and rules bengal.
anyway you are free to believe what you want, but if you actually think the post poll protests matter much over things like low vaccine availability and fuel/LPG prices, ill suggest you go out and talk to more people.
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u/chalkrow 20d ago
LMAO. Everyone of these statements are echoed by PK and the IPAC team who have worked on the ground and looked at data said. Nonetheless, live in your own urban bubble of Bengali exceptionalism and follow Garga.
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u/ApexPredator1995 20d ago
yes, same PK and IPAC who once praised modi after takign their money saying stuff after going against them.
Modi also never lies, pigs fly, etc etc
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u/chalkrow 20d ago
And you are supremely intelligent and Garga is an intellectual
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u/ApexPredator1995 20d ago
Garga is an intellectual
don't know if i am, but its proven you aren't one.
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u/drigamcu 20d ago edited 20d ago
Nonsense, BJP got 38% of the votes to TMC's 48%. A swing of only a few percentage points would've flipped the result.
Also, those who think religionism doesn't exist in WB are living in a fool's paradise.
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u/EmergencyCorner 20d ago
Religious differences have worked only too Well, at least for one political community...
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u/MahaanInsaan 21d ago
The only thing that will happen is that Modi will triple the number of Bengali Whatsapp IT Cell employees.