RSS-BJP systematically attacking Bengal: Yechury on desecration of Vidyasagar statue

Accusing the BJP-RSS of systematically attacking Bengal and its ethos, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday said the saffron party was opposed to the very ideas propagated by social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, whose statue was desecrated in the violence during BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata.

BJP and TMC supporters on Tuesday fought pitched battles on the streets of Kolkata during a massive roadshow by Shah, who escaped unhurt but was forced to cut short the jamboree and had to be escorted to safety by police.

"Not about just a statue, but a systematic attack on Bengal. One of the biggest symbols of the Bengal renaissance is what BJP-RSS have attacked. These obscurantists have always opposed Vidyasagar's ideas. But Bengal will not succumb," Yechury tweeted.

While both the BJP and the ruling TMC has begun a blame game on the issue, Yechury said that the violent clashes between the two parties was "hitting at the heart of Bengal and its core."

"Vidyasagar was conferred the title of the ocean of knowledge. A leading figure in the Bengal renaissance, he stood for progress, pathbreaking reform and enlightenment. It is very clear why the Sangh parivar would seek destruction of his ideas," he tweeted.

While Shah on Wednesday said that the TMC was indulging in violence in the state and alleged that the Election Commission has been a "mute spectator", TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien said the saffron party was perpetuating violence through its "goons brought from outside".