Senior Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal minister Hakim today paid floral tributes at the statue of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on his death anniversary.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal minister Hakim today paid floral tributes at the statue of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on his death anniversary, triggering a controversy. Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was the founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, which later evolved into the BJP.
Asked why the Trinamool government should be paying homage to the founder of the Jan Sangh, Mr Hakim said, "Maybe we don't agree with his ideology, but they were the leaders who led the country at some juncture. So it is our duty and our culture to pay respect to them.
The tribute, he insisted, had nothing to do with BJP.
"Politically, ideologically we are against the BJP. We will fight out battle in the political field. But after death, a person who sacrificed his life for the country, does not belong to a single political party."
Subrata Bakshi, Trinamool general secretary and MP, pointed out that this was not the first time the government paid such a tribute. "We have been paying tribute to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and many others after we came to power in 2011".
The tribute has been slammed by the CPM.
Party general secretary Sitaram Yechuri said, "It seems the BJP and the Trinamool are coming closer... Some from the same fold consider Nathuram Godse an icon."
Mr Yechury said there seems to be a "quid pro quo in action" between the Trinamool and the BJP -- TMC support in the Rajya Sabha for a go slow in the investigation into the Saradha scam. Senior Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal minister Hakim today paid floral tributes at the statue of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on his death anniversary, triggering a controversy. Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was the founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, which later evolved into the BJP.
Asked why the Trinamool government should be paying homage to the founder of the Jan Sangh, Mr Hakim said, "Maybe we don't agree with his ideology, but they were the leaders who led the country at some juncture. So it is our duty and our culture to pay respect to them.
The tribute, he insisted, had nothing to do with BJP.
"Politically, ideologically we are against the BJP. We will fight out battle in the political field. But after death, a person who sacrificed his life for the country, does not belong to a single political party."
Subrata Bakshi, Trinamool general secretary and MP, pointed out that this was not the first time the government paid such a tribute. "We have been paying tribute to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and many others after we came to power in 2011".
The tribute has been slammed by the CPM.
Party general secretary Sitaram Yechuri said, "It seems the BJP and the Trinamool are coming closer... Some from the same fold consider Nathuram Godse an icon."
Mr Yechury said there seems to be a "quid pro quo in action" between the Trinamool and the BJP -- TMC support in the Rajya Sabha for a go slow in the investigation into the Saradha scam.
Politburo member Surya Kanta Mishra quipped, "It is not just about garlanding a statue. The Trinamool and BJP are exchanging garlands."
The BJP's Siddharth Nath Singh, who was in Kolkata and paid tribute to the Jan Sangh founder, said there was no question of playing politics in paying respects to a national icon.
But the Trinamool, he said, needs to clarify whether they follow the ideology of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, which talked about uniform civil code and a non-appeasement of the majority in Jammu & Kashmir. "I think that is very important for the TMC to clarify," he added.
Politburo member Surya Kanta Mishra quipped, "It is not just about garlanding a statue. The Trinamool and BJP are exchanging garlands."
The BJP's Siddharth Nath Singh, who was in Kolkata and paid tribute to the Jan Sangh founder, said there was no question of playing politics in paying respects to a national icon.
But the Trinamool, he said, needs to clarify whether they follow the ideology of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, which talked about uniform civil code and a non-appeasement of the majority in Jammu & Kashmir. "I think that is very important for the TMC to clarify," he added.