Bengal finance minister Swapan Dasgupta on Monday said vandalism of bookstalls, as has been alleged by Left parties, was "no way right", asserting that freedom of thought and expression could not be curtailed.
Dasgupta, a senior BJP leader, said freedom of thought cannot be curtailed in any way. The Left Front, which was once the dominant force in the state and now struggling for relevance, had every right to put up a bookstall, he said.
The CPI(M), SUCI and other Left parties have alleged that their bookstalls were vandalised at several places across West Bengal, from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district to Haridevpur in south Kolkata.
"I have seen the Left parties' stalls during pujas for 30 to 40 years. They do not draw a huge crowd, but they set them up," he told a vernacular TV channel.
Referring to criticism that the Left parties are atheists, Dasgupta said it could not be a pretext for vandalism. "Yes, they are atheists, ideologically. But so what? I cannot support hooliganism on that excuse," he said.
Daspupta said he performs only one puja every year -- Saraswati Puja.
"Whether it is a book by Lenin, Marx or anyone else, people who want to put forward their views should be allowed to do so. It is like TV channels. There can be 30 of them, but the remote is in your hand. Whether to read or not is your choice," he said.
Dasgupta said the alleged incidents of vandalism have besmirched the state's image, maintaining that he did not know who was behind the attacks or their political affiliation.
"It hangs my head in shame. Who are they? Who gave them the responsibility? What is their authority?" he asked.
Describing himself as a staunch opponent of the Left, Dasgupta said he saw little relevance in Marxist literature today, but it remained a historical document. "If someone wants to read it, let them," he said.
Asked whether he felt ashamed over the episode, he said, "Yes, because I have been associated with the BJP for a long time, and we have always worked with a moral superiority, that we do not do such things. It is a 'party with a difference', as (Lal Krishna) Advaniji used to say."
Dasgupta pointed out that the BJP was the only party to oppose the ban on Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses". He said the BJP also protested when Taslima Nasreen was driven out of Kolkata and welcomed her back to the city when it got the chance.
"I have personally organised a programme for her. Taslima is also an atheist. I do not agree with everything she says, but I uphold her right to say it with dignity. I see attacks on books in the same light," he said.
In September, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had asked Durga Puja committees not to allow CPI(M) bookstalls outside pandals if they used the term 'Sharodotsav' (autumn festival) instead of 'Durga Puja' to describe the festival.