Brigade Ground Turns Saffron: One-Day Optics Or Sign Of Changing Political Perception In Bengal? | Politics News

People take part in the ‘five-lakh-voices Gita chanting’ event, at the Brigade Parade Ground, in Kolkata. (PTI)

On Sunday, December 7, Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground underwent a striking transformation as the venue turned saffron during a mass Gita recitation. Organisers estimated a turnout of nearly five lakh participants, including sadhus, sanyasis and Sanatani followers. The Brigade, long known during the Left era as the “Red Brigade”, assumed an entirely different character for a day, prompting questions in political circles about whether this was an isolated event or an indicator of shifting public perception in West Bengal.

To examine this, it is essential to revisit the history and political relevance of the Brigade Parade Ground. Located against the backdrop of the Victoria Memorial and functioning for decades as Kolkata’s premier site for mass gatherings, the ground has hosted events ranging from public receptions for Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin to major political rallies addressed by Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after the formation of Bangladesh.

From the late 1980s, the Brigade became synonymous with the CPI(M)’s annual mass rallies, leading to the colloquial term “Red Brigade”. After the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, the party chose not to position the Brigade as its main platform, instead treating the 21 July Martyrs’ Day rally in Dharmatala as its principal show of strength.

The Gita recitation programme entered its third edition this year, but the 2025 event saw significantly larger mobilisation, with many sadhus, sanyasis and several BJP leaders in attendance. The programme was held just a day after the foundation-laying ceremony for a new Babri Masjid in Murshidabad by Humayun Kabir, prompting comparisons about whether competitive polarisation is intensifying in Bengal.

Several analysts argue that political polarisation in the state has already become visible and could be a key factor in the upcoming elections. They point to chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s emphasis on religious projects, such as the Jagannath Temple in Digha and the proposed Durgangan corridor, as an attempt to counter the BJP’s allegation that the TMC prioritises minority appeasement. The BJP, for its part, has been increasingly engaging in Sanatani outreach, and various organisations have been conducting similar programmes.

On the ground, the Sanatan Sanskrit Sansad succeeded in drawing a very large crowd. Some experts believe this reflects a shift in perception among sections of Hindu voters, shaped by recent developments in Bangladesh and evolving demographic patterns in West Bengal. Whether this could translate into electoral benefits for the BJP remains uncertain.

Political analyst and professor Biswanath Chakraborty told News18: “There were fewer political workers in Sunday’s Gita recitation. The participants were not all BJP; many were from the RSS. The BJP’s support was clear, but that does not mean these attendees will all vote for the party. If that were the case, they would not have invited Mamata Banerjee. This is part of a long-term RSS campaign. After the Left’s decline, this space became vacant, and right-wing mobilisation is now occupying it. The saffron Brigade reflects a sense of larger Hindu unity. Bengal was traditionally left-liberal, so the question is whether this represents a shift from that perception.”

Another political analyst, Dr Sambit Pal, said: “The shift began around 2016-17 with the rise of aggressive Hindutva politics. The vacuum created by the Left, along with competitive identity politics by both the TMC and BJP, is activating underlying communal sentiments shaped by the history of Partition. That is why we saw what unfolded last weekend—between the Babri Masjid construction-related events and the Gita chanting.”

Within the TMC, the event is being interpreted as a political mobilisation attempt. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “We respect the Gita. It is close to our hearts. But this recitation has been turned into a political event. Because they cannot draw crowds on their own, they are using the Gita.”

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim told News18: “Political parties are taking refuge in religion because they cannot mobilise people on social, economic or political issues. This is an experiment. What happened in North India is now being attempted in Bengal. They failed earlier and will likely face the same outcome. Bengal’s values are different. In all this, bread-and-butter issues are being sidelined.”

The BJP, however, views the turnout as evidence of a significant shift in public sentiment. BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote on X: “Kolkata witnessed a historic spectacle—a colossal Gita recitation voiced by over 6.5 lakh devotees. The Brigade Ground, often a stage for political displays, was transformed into a massive gathering rooted in faith. Hindu groups came together in extraordinary numbers, answering a powerful call for unity.”

BJP MLA Samik Bhattacharya told News18: “There is saffron unity on the ground because radical elements are growing. That is why Hindu unity is necessary. This was organised by sadhus and saints, and common people joined because they felt it was needed at this moment.”

Whether the saffron surge at the Brigade was an exceptional one-day event or a reflection of a deeper shift in political perception in Bengal remains a subject of debate among analysts and political actors alike.

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