Kolkata, Sep 20 (IANS) The tradition among Trinamool Congress leaders in describing West Bengal’s religious leaders as incarnations of the great and iconic spiritual leaders of the country has continued with the party’s Rajya Sabha member, Ritabrata Banerjee being the latest in the list.

Speaking at a public rally at Bangaon in North 24 Parganas district, on Saturday evening, on the issue of the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in the BJP-ruled states, Ritabrata Banerjee described Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as an incarnation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

“Mamata Banerjee is the only leader in India who had united people against communal and caste politics. Like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, lakhs of people follow our Chief Minister on the way she moves. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had broken the barriers of caste and religion. So lakhs of people followed him on the way he used to walk. Similarly, now lakhs of people follow our Chief Minister at the rallies led by her. So in a way she is the present-day incarnation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,” the Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member said.

This is not the first time that the Chief Minister had been described as incarnation of iconic and great spiritual leaders from the country.

In December 2023, State Education Minister Bratya Basu too described Chief Minister Banerjee as incarnation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Basu’s logic was that since like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Mamata Banerjee also spoke of unity of all religions and all-inclusiveness so she could be considered as the perfect incarnation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

In December 2023, State Trinamool Congress General Secretary Kunal Ghosh, described Mamata Banerjee as incarnation of saint Ramakrishna Paramhansa and her nephew and party’s General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee as that of Swami Vivekananda.

“If Mamata Banerjee is Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Abhishek Banerjee is Swami Vivekananda. Sri Ramkrishana Paramhansa had several followers. But Swami Vivekananda was his most popular disciple. Similarly, the people of Bengal want to witness the greatness of Mamata Banerjee in light of the life of Abhishek Banerjee. People want to see the reflection of the contributions and sacrifices of Mamata Banerjee for the people in Abhishek Banerjee as well,” Ghosh said.

Earlier in June 2022, Nirmal Maji, a three-time Trinamool Congress legislator from Uluberia (North) in Howrah district, described Mamata Banerjee as the “incarnation of Maa Sarada”, the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

Maji even went to the extent of saying that a few days before Swami Vivekananda’s death, Maa Sarada told some of Swamiji’s followers that when she will be reborn, she will be reborn in Kalighat near the famous Kali Temple.

Incidentally, Banerjee’s residence is located near the Kali Temple in Kalighat.

Belur Math, the headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, issued a strong note of objection against such comments by Maji.

Again, in July last year, Biswajit Das, the MLA from Bagda Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, compared the Chief Minister to Rani Rashmoni — the legendary philanthropist and founder of iconic Dakhineswar Kali temple near Kolkata, famous for its association with Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

–IANS

src/khz