Malda: Union Minister of State for Rural Development Kapil Moreshwar Patil paid tribute to Swami Vivekananda on his 161st birth anniversary by garlanding his idol in West Bengal's Malda district on Thursday. The whole country paid homage to Swamiji. But this kicked off a huge controversy as allegedly, he garlanded Swamiji's idol, wearing shoes.
The state's ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has slammed the BJP following the incident. A procession to commemorate Swamiji's birth anniversary around 9 am on Thursday was held at Malda. Students and teachers of all schools of Malda city joined the event. Union Minister Kapil Moreshwar Patil reached Ramakrishna Mission after touring the city.
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After offering flowers at the Ramakrishna Mission, the Union Minister garlanded the statue of Swami Vivekananda wearing shoes. The TMC leaders have criticized the BJP for such a faux pas. Lashing out at the ruling party at the Centre District Trinamool Spokesperson Shubhamoy Basu alleged that the only intention behind the Union Minister visiting West Bengal was political tourism. He further alleged that the Minister has no knowledge of the state's tradition and culture.
"As a former student of Vivekananda School, I am ashamed of what I saw today. This morning we together with the municipality, administration and students of all schools remembered Swami. After the Kota city parikrama, we came in front of Vivekananda's statue. Union Minister of State for Rural Development put on shoes and garlanded Swamiji's idol," Basu said.
"He came to Bengal on political tourism. He has no idea about Bengali culture. The way he insulted a valiant monk makes us bow our heads. This incident proves that the BJP has no idea about the culture of Hinduism,” alleged the TMC spokesperson. However, the BJP is yet to react on the matter.
