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RSS-inspired Janabarta uses the Kolkata Book Fair to counter BJP’s ‘outsider’ tag in West Bengal, calling their stalls ‘dochala’ to appeal to Bengali sentiment.
Janabarta, this time, has refused to call their book stalls as mere stalls and instead have called them ‘dochala’. (Image: News18)
After Home Minister Amit Shah’s back to back outreach to Bengali sentiment ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha election to shed BJP’s ‘bohiragoto’ or ‘outsider’ tag slapped by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that has stuck with the party ever since 2021, now an RSS inspired publication — ‘Janabarta’ – is doing the same, using the Kolkata Book Fair as its medium.
Janabarta — a publication along with other similar publications under the umbrella of the Sangh, not just represented in Kolkata Book Fair but faced sporadic agitations like one in 2020 when BJP leader Rahul Sinha went to Janabarta stall and had to be rescued by police in the face of unsuspecting protestors. While this specific agitation was regarding CAA, it had a tinge of similar anti-Bengali element. Meanwhile, both the BJP and the Sangh were painted to have a cultural disconnect with West Bengal.
Janabarta, this time, has refused to call their book stalls as mere stalls and instead have called them ‘dochala’, which is seen to be the right of centre’s answer to the longstanding allegations by imbibing a Bengali nationalism. The invitation card that has been sent out bears Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s photographs, asking the visitors of the Book Fair to check in at the ‘Dochala’, not Stall.
‘Dochala’ roughly suggests a formation where the roof slopes in either direction. “We have been taking part in Kolkata book fair for a while now. But this time it clicked that we use the bamboos, tie the tents to make the structure. It is exactly what a textbook dochala is about. We love Bengali language and take pride in its rich history and culture. Why should we use the word ‘stall’ when we have such a rich alternative in Bengali? Bengali is our mother tongue and we must not forget that,” said Sadhan Talukdar, who is the Working Secretary of Janabarta, while speaking to News18.
Talukdar sees no politics in it but if anyone has any objections to his appealing to Bengali sentiment, Talukdar feels, they have “disrespected Bharat Mata herself”.
This is part of a long standing saffron effort to be seen by Begalis as their win. For instance, North India’s Diwali coincides with Bengal’s Kali Puja. This year, Bengal BJP leaders were seen extending Kali Puja greetings and attending many Kali Puja programs, a sharp departure from the past practice of Diwali wishes on their social media handles. Local BJP events now flaunt non-vegetarian dishes which many of the state leaders are seen to be eating. In a predominantly fish-eating state, a vegetarian party has few takers, a feedback that New Delhi received after the 2021 debacle.
Former RSS boss KS Sudharshan spoke in fluent Bengali, a language that the present RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also happens to manage to speak. Both cannot be just coincidence.
