Bhupendranath Dutta Introduced Bengalis to Marx, Lenin: Satarup Ghosh Hits Back at Suvendu Adhikari

A war of words has erupted in West Bengal politics over book stalls at Durga Puja pandals, with CPM leader Satarup Ghosh launching a sharp counterattack against remarks made by prominent political figure Suvendu Adhikari.

The controversy began when Adhikari criticized the Left’s 34-year rule, alleging that traditional religious practices like arati and pushpanjali were sidelined during their tenure. He claimed that traditional communist book stalls set up near pandals exclusively sold Marxist and Leninist literature while intentionally omitting spiritual and historical texts, such as the works of Swami Vivekananda, publications from Belur Math and Bharat Sevashram Sangha, books on the partition of India, or Hindu scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita and Hanuman Chalisa.

Responding directly to these assertions, CPM leader Satarup Ghosh dismissed the claims as historically inaccurate and politically motivated. He stated that Left book stalls routinely feature both literature written by Swami Vivekananda and books about his life and philosophy.

In a pointed historical retort, Ghosh remarked, “About 120 years ago, the person who first introduced Bengalis to the writings of Marx and Lenin was none other than revolutionary Bhupendranath Dutta, the biological younger brother of Swami Vivekananda.”

Adding to the rebuttal, fellow Left leader Srijan Bhattacharya questioned the logic behind Adhikari’s criticism. Drawing a parallel, Bhattacharya asked whether Gita Press publications feature the works of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Chandrashekhar Azad, Bismillah Khan, or Bhagat Singh, demanding to know why the institution similarly omits the broader history of the Indian independence movement from its own publications.

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