Mamata Banerjee: “Durga Angan” scheme has drawn criticism from the BJP, which considers it appeasement politics
Mamata Banerjee: Later in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to open “Durga Angan,” a Goddess Durga temple at New Town on the northern outskirts of Kolkata. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) characterized the project as another instance of what it called the hallmark of her appeasement politics.
Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s Information Technology Cell and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, posted a statement on social media on Monday, saying that the Chief Minister was going to “taint the image of Goddess Durga” following the commotion surrounding the recent event at Salt Lake Stadium featuring Argentine football star Lionel Messi.
Mamata Banerjee has now shifted her attention to destroying the sanctity of Maa Durga after making a big deal out of the Messi incident. Her policies are characterized by appeasement and fakery, which are deeply ingrained in her so-called Durga Angan initiative. According to Malviya’s essay, “it reduces devotion to a cynical exercise in vote-bank management, mocking Bengali Hindus’ faith and beliefs.”
Malviya said in the statement that a number of Muslim locals had demonstrated against the initial location in New Town, arguing that the property was purchased from Muslims and remained “Muslim-origin land.”
He also said that even though contracts had already been given to contractors connected to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) under what he called well-known “cash-back arrangements,” the CM panicked after the demonstrations and suddenly stopped the leveling operation.
“So far, around Rs 10 crore has been spent with no return on investment. Now, a new location has been hastily selected. Originally, this site was designated for industrial facilities. The land has been readily taken as no industry ever developed. Malviya said, “We are informed that there has been no formal land-use conversion or modification to the master plan.
He said that even though preparations for the foundation-laying ceremony were already well under way, the state administration was compelled at the last minute to change the location of the “Durga Angan” in order to safeguard what he characterized as a devoted vote bank and to pacify a portion of minorities.
According to the previous statement, the Durga Angan was to be constructed on a parcel held by the Health Department on Biswa Bangla Sarani in New Town, near Eco Park and across from the Westin Hotel. For more than two months, preparations had been in progress. Firms linked to the TMC have already completed earth-filling work worth around Rs 4 crore after tenders were issued, according to Malviya.
He further claimed that contracts for earth-filling work near Bander Mor in New Town were given to Muskan Enterprise and MM Enterprise, according to a work order issued by the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) on October 17.
“Work to increase ground levels in Zones 4 and 5 was authorized via the procurement procedure, according to official papers. At the same time, plans were being made to build a huge stage for the ceremony to lay the foundation. However, the website was abruptly taken down. Malviya said, “The families and members of the local minority community objected, asking why public funds should be used to construct a Hindu religious structure on the land they occupy, and the government quickly moved the foundation stone to a new location.”
He said that faith, openness, and public confidence were lost as a result of governance motivated by fear, appeasement taking precedence over planning, and the waste of lakhs of public funds for political expediency.