West Bengal elections are scheduled from March 27, 2021 to April 6, 2021 in eight phases. This is a high stakes election for all the political parties and especially the Hindu right political party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). There have been several strong campaigns in the state against the BJP and one such campaigns is the #NoVoteToBJP campaign. On March 15, 2021 twenty to thirty hooligans dressed in saffron T-shirts adorning Narendra Modi’s face on them created a ruckus in the famous, Coffee House at the college street in Kolkata.
Also read: Three Student Activists in Chandigarh Arrested for Protesting Against a Rape
Joydip from #NoVoteToBJP campaign speaking to gaurilankeshnews.com narrated what exactly happened at the Coffee House. He said, ‘Coffee House is a historical place in Kolkata. It occupies a sentimental value in every household in Kolkata. Bengalis know the place as a stage for dialogues between and among different ideologies and political beliefs.
Twenty to thirty goons of the BJP entered the Coffee House shouting, ‘Jai Shri Ram and We would make college Modi street.’ This was bound to not go well. The goondas faced a severe backlash.
Their offensive and anti-history slogans were rebutted by saying ‘you have Nathuram in your hearts and we have Khudiram in ours.’ Joydip further narrated that the goods were erasing “No” from the posters of #NoVoteToBJP campaign that was pasted on the walls of the Coffee House.
Also read: How do the Modi Government’s Farm Laws Violate the UN Declaration?
‘The Coffee House has witnessed several protests and heated debates against the Congress, Trinamool and even the left in the past. This kind of behaviour was never seen. This is the first of its kind,’ said Joydip.
#NoVoteToBJP primarily based in West Bengal is a pan India open call to not vote for BJP. `The politics of the BJP is divisive. They always have wanted to rewrite history and misrepresent history. Yesterday’s attack on the Coffee House is a step towards this motive of the BJP. They do not want any learning and debate to happen in college spaces and that is why they created a ruckus here in the college street,’ said Joydip.
Students, civil society and many concerned citizens protested today against this incident. They strongly condemned the actions of the BJP.
