Kolkata, Apr 15 (PTI) A Bengali nationalist organisation on Wednesday alleged that the Election Commission has not permitted it to take out a procession on the occasion of Bengali New Year, describing
it as a "grave assault" on the pride and culture of the community.
'Bangla Pokkho', however, announced that a rally would be taken out in the evening of April 15 to celebrate 'Nabobarsho' (New Year) in the southern parts of the city, defying the EC's denial.
The permission was not given in consultation with the Kolkata Police, an EC official said, adding that with the model code of conduct being in place, any unauthorised gathering is deemed "illegal".
The model code of conduct is in place as the elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases - on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
Bangla Pokkho's general secretary Garga Chatterjee said, "We have been organising this 'Poila Baisakh' (first day of the Bengali New Year) rally, where thousands take part, for the past five years. We will take out a procession in south Kolkata on Wednesday evening."
The EC had turned down Bangla Pokkho’s appeal to hold a rally in north Kolkata earlier, the organisation claimed, adding that the poll panel also rejected the plea to take out the second procession in the southern part of the city.
“This is nothing short of a grave assault on Bengali identity and culture by the Election Commission. This has never happened in West Bengal. The only example of such denial of the Bengali New Year procession was in East Pakistan before the creation of Bangladesh in 1971,” Chatterjee said.
Asserting that no one has the right to stop Bengalis from celebrating 'Naboborsho' (New Year), he said members of the outfit, along with hundreds of supporters, will take out a rally from Rashbehari crossing to Gariahat in the southern part of the city.
He also said, "In the land of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Chittaranjan Das, Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, if celebrating Bengali New Year is a crime, we are proud to be branded as criminals.”
The proposed procession in north Kolkata, covering places associated with Swami Vivekananda and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, was not held.
“These processions feature Bengali stalwarts, Bengali business leaders of yore and celebrate our culture, food, literature and folk, above caste and creed. The Bengali New Year procession by Bangla Pokkho, which has become a fixture in Kolkata on 'Poila Baisakh', cannot be stopped at the whims of the EC,” Chatterjee said.
He challenged the poll panel to stop the evening procession in south Kolkata.
"To publicly celebrate the Bengali New Year is our birthright. This is Bengali Year 1433. Very few people in the world have their own calendar, and Bengalis are one of those. The EC can take any step. Bengalis are ready to face everything," he added. PTI SUS BDC
