Kolkata, Sept. 3 -- Trinamool Congress mouthpiece Jago Bangla has questioned why communal forces should "fear" Karl Marx in the wake of the alleged removal of Marxist graffiti from walls of Jadavpur University.
In a commentary, the publication asked whether Marx is disliked by communal forces or by Indian Marxists themselves. The article argued that communal conflicts are often driven not by the interests of religious communities but by political or economic interests. It claims ordinary people are frequently drawn into such conflicts by those seeking to exploit religious sentiment.
A major portion of the article deals with Marx's famous description of religion as "the opium of the people".
It argues that this line is often quoted in isolation, ignoring Marx's description of religion as the "sigh of the oppressed" and the "heart of a heartless world".
The article also cites Lenin's advocacy of complete freedom of religious belief and Engels's warning that persecution could strengthen religious faith. It links this principle to India's constitutional commitment to secularism.
The piece concludes by saying it is neither "Mamata's" nor "so-called" Marxist, but is driven by a commitment to human values.
TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh said his party does not support removal of wall graffiti in student universities.
He said any slogans that oppose the country must be removed but otherwise there should not be any unreasonable crackdown.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.