The BJP protest over burning of Tagore’s photo created political tension in Kolkata on Monday. Party leaders and workers gathered outside Rabindra Sadan, holding posters of Rabindranath Tagore around their necks. They accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of insulting Bengal’s cultural icons and silencing voices of dissent.
The protest came a day after BJP claimed that the TMC’s student wing (TMCP) burned a portrait of Tagore during a demonstration in Malda district. Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari led the march and said, “Everywhere there are locks – on industries, democracy, and even on Rabindra Sadan gates. We will break no locks or gates, but we will protest.”
BJP workers called themselves “Rabindrapremi” (devotees of Tagore) and promised to continue peaceful demonstrations. They also accused TMCP of burning another portrait of Tagore at Chanchal College in Malda.
Videos of the incident spread quickly on social media and sparked outrage. BJP State President Samik Bhattacharya called the act a “jihadi mindset” and said burning Tagore’s portrait insulted India’s heritage.
