By Express News Service
KOLKATA: Religion has returned as a narrative in West Bengal’s political arena with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday virtually inaugurating six prominent Durga Pujas in and around Kolkata. Meanwhile, sources in the BJP said it had requested Amit Shah to visit the state capital to inaugurate a puja organised by a party leader and that the Union Home Minister had agreed.
This year, Mamata, for the first time, inaugurated Bengal’s biggest religious festival virtually from her Kalighat residence because of her knee injury.
“I cannot go to you physically but mentally, I am there with you. Doctors prescribed me rest because of injuries on my knee. I need to follow restrictions. I will meet all of you at the Durga Puja carnival on October 27. I convey my wishes to the people of Bengal on the occasion of Durga Puja,” said Mamata while inaugurating pujas from her residence on Thursday. Till last year, she inaugurated puja pandals by visiting them physically.
Since the religious festival is a major opportunity for public outreach ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls, the saffron camp’s Bengal chapter requested Shah to visit the city.
“We requested the Union Home Minister to come and inaugurate Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja which is organised by Sajal Ghosh, who defected from the TMC to our party. The office of the Home Minister gave us the green signal,” said a BJP leader.
The state government announced a Durga Puja bonanza offering a grant of Rs 70,000, instead of last year’s dole of Rs 60,000, for each of 40,000 odd puja committees across the state forcing the cash-strapped Bengal government to shell out Rs 280 crore this year. Mamata had introduced financial grant for Durga Puja organisers in 2018 with Rs 10,000 for each puja committee.
Earlier, PM Narendra Modi had also inaugurated a Durga Puja in Kolkata in October 2020, virtually.
“What better time to blow the outreach bugle than the Durga Puja before next year’s Lok Sabha polls. The TMC-led government is trying to use the religious event to secure electoral dividends by offering more doles. We should not also miss the opportunity to reach out to the Hindu masses and consolidate them in our favour. Inviting Shah to inaugurate a puja is part of our plan,” said another senior BJP leader. Follow channel on WhatsApp
KOLKATA: Religion has returned as a narrative in West Bengal’s political arena with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday virtually inaugurating six prominent Durga Pujas in and around Kolkata. Meanwhile, sources in the BJP said it had requested Amit Shah to visit the state capital to inaugurate a puja organised by a party leader and that the Union Home Minister had agreed.
This year, Mamata, for the first time, inaugurated Bengal’s biggest religious festival virtually from her Kalighat residence because of her knee injury.
“I cannot go to you physically but mentally, I am there with you. Doctors prescribed me rest because of injuries on my knee. I need to follow restrictions. I will meet all of you at the Durga Puja carnival on October 27. I convey my wishes to the people of Bengal on the occasion of Durga Puja,” said Mamata while inaugurating pujas from her residence on Thursday. Till last year, she inaugurated puja pandals by visiting them physically.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Since the religious festival is a major opportunity for public outreach ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls, the saffron camp’s Bengal chapter requested Shah to visit the city.
“We requested the Union Home Minister to come and inaugurate Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja which is organised by Sajal Ghosh, who defected from the TMC to our party. The office of the Home Minister gave us the green signal,” said a BJP leader.
The state government announced a Durga Puja bonanza offering a grant of Rs 70,000, instead of last year’s dole of Rs 60,000, for each of 40,000 odd puja committees across the state forcing the cash-strapped Bengal government to shell out Rs 280 crore this year. Mamata had introduced financial grant for Durga Puja organisers in 2018 with Rs 10,000 for each puja committee.
Earlier, PM Narendra Modi had also inaugurated a Durga Puja in Kolkata in October 2020, virtually.
“What better time to blow the outreach bugle than the Durga Puja before next year’s Lok Sabha polls. The TMC-led government is trying to use the religious event to secure electoral dividends by offering more doles. We should not also miss the opportunity to reach out to the Hindu masses and consolidate them in our favour. Inviting Shah to inaugurate a puja is part of our plan,” said another senior BJP leader. Follow channel on WhatsApp
