Durga Puja in West Bengal seems to be the new site of a big political battle between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition BJP, with both parties trying their best to establish dominance over the state’s biggest festival. While TMC is planning to hold football matches on the theme of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s, now famous, political war cry ‘Khela Hobe’, the BJP is in talks with some puja committees to take over their organisational responsibilities.
The football matches will be organised by a group of female Durga Puja organisers on September 4. The women — through their organisation ‘Banglar Dugga’ — will hold the football matches in Kolkata where teams from several districts of South Bengal will also participate.
Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, who is also the president of Banglar Dugga, told News18, “Banglar Dugga can do anything and everything. That is why, we will organise Khela Hobe football matches where 8 teams will participate. Our Durga can cook, can teach, can kill demons — that is what we want to show. Our chief minister is also a woman, who has defeated demons in this election. So Khela Hobe is a must.”
The TMC, buoyed by its resounding victory in the 2021 assembly polls, seems to be trying to keep the momentum around the ‘Khela Hobe’ slogan alive — and what better way than to latch on to the biggest festival of the state.
These football matches, meanwhile, will carry a new slogan — ‘Atoot che manobal, Durgader pae football (Our resolve is strong, Durga will play football).
The female organisers of Durga Puja have, however, alleged that they never get the due exposure like that of their male counterparts. Therefore, they have decided to start their own Pujo with Khela Hobe as their theme.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment