The Left will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence by recalling the pledge Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi took to restore communal harmony in the newly freed country.

On August 15 this year, 14 Left and allied parties will hoist the Tricolour in front of the Beliaghata house in Calcutta, where Gandhi stayed in August 1947.

“...Riots had broken out out in places like Calcutta and Noakhali. The Mahatma decided not to take part in the pomp and show of Delhi and came to Calcutta instead to restore peace,” said CPM state secretary Md Salim. “The situation today is such that we need to fight to maintain peace, communal harmony and brotherhood in the country. This is why we will mark the perseverance of the Mahatma towards harmony.”

On August 13, 1947, Gandhi reached the small building known as Hyderi Manzil — later renamed as Gandhi Bhavan. fasted for 73 hours which brokered peace between Hindus and Muslims.

To mark the anniversary of Gandhi’s arrival, the Left-leaning All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) took out a rally from Sukanta Mancha to Gandhi Bhavan in Beliaghata on Saturday. Many members of the civil society, including professor Ambikesh Mahapatra, former Supreme Court judge Asok Kumar Ganguly and actors Joyraj Bhattacharya and Chandan Sen took part in it.

Former Left Front minister Anjan Bera — one of the organisers of Saturday’s event — said the idea behind the rally was to relive Gandhi’s passion for harmony.

“Gandhiji’s penance to restore peace in Bengal and India at large remains unknown to the new generation. The idea behind this procession was to create awareness about Gandhi’s role in ensuring communal harmony,” Bera said.

“He stood for unity and harmony. He had discarded the two-nation theory. If we want to achieve brotherhood our struggle must be as relentless.”

The CPM has also decided to hold two series of exhibitions on 75 years of Independence across the state. While one of these exhibitions will deal with the contribution made by the communists in India’s freedom struggle, the other will be on Bengal’s contribution.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose will also hoist the Tricolour at the CPM headquarters in Alimuddin Street in Calcutta.

Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign, Salim said Modi had promised houses for all by 2022 and when he failed to achieve it, he was trying to change the narrative by asking citizens to hoist flags at homes.