Kolkata: “The way demography has changed and our culture has been destroyed, we all need to work together to restore it,” CM Suvendu Adhikari said at an event at National Library auditorium on Saturday organised by Ram Sharad Kothari Smriti Sangh.Adhikari was the chief guest while Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale was the chief speaker.Remembering Ram Kothari and Sharad Kothari’s sacrifice for Sanatan dharma, Adhikari said: “This time, the public saved West Bengal; otherwise, we wouldn’t even know what our condition would have been. I would have had to send my elderly parents to Odisha as the situation would not have been conducive for them to stay here.”The chief minister highlighted the work done by BJP govt in the state in a short span of time, including prioritising national security by providing land to BSF, launching a campaign against anti-national forces, deporting illegal infiltrators and mandating ‘Vande Mataram’ in all schools and madrasas.But much more needed to be done, Adhikari said. “This is not only the cultural capital of the nation but also a devotional and spiritual land. Regarding Ram temple, for which the Kothari brothers sacrificed, a lot of work still needs to be done in Bengal,” he added.Hosabale said: “In the past few decades, I have paid visits to Bangabhoomi and Kolkata several times, but this is the first time people of Bengal are heaving a sigh of relief. They are freely expressing their thoughts. As pointed out that some work has been done and rest will happen, I will urge people to have patience. In any society, a govt that understands the pulse of people and the intention of govt finds support with the public, the state and the nation will truly ‘viksit’. You should at least give two to three terms, if work has not happened by then, you must question. We want the days of ‘what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’ to return.”Adhikari appealed to the audience to come forward without fear and set up ‘gaushalas’ across the state. “This time, Bakrid was celebrated without a hand being raised against the cow. We need more shelters in Bengal beyond the small ones in Purulia, Kolkata and Kharagpur,” he said.Referring to the row over Dhirendra Krishna Garg alias Bageshwar Baba’s comments over consumption of non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja, Adhikari said, “When a saint came here and shared his thoughts, his effigy and picture were burned by those who disagreed. While the Constitution allows people to choose whether to accept his words, I will not allow any saint to be insulted in Bengal.”The CM said Durga Puja will be celebrated with utmost purity this year. “I have urged everyone that Puja inaugurations will not happen during ‘Pitri Paksha’, but during ‘Matri Paksha’, honoring our ancient traditions,” he said. Adhikari reiterated that Uniform Civil Code will be implemented after the commission, headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, completes its hearings in a few months.
