Kolkata:
A newly constructed temple devoted to Lord Jagannath within the coastal city of Digha in West Bengal has grow to be the centre of a political flashpoint between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s authorities and the BJP.
The BJP has referred to as Ms Banerjee a “pretend Hindu”, stating that authorities funds can’t be used for constructing temples.
“Puri Dham will stay Puri Dham. Mamata Banerjee is a pretend Hindu. Temples cannot be constructed utilizing authorities funds. It’s a cultural centre, not a temple. Do not mislead the folks of Bengal. Hindus make temples on their very own. No authorities fund was used to construct the Ram temple (in Ayodhya). Hindus internationally funded it,” mentioned BJP chief and the Chief of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
Mr Adhikari additionally referred to as Ms Banerjee an “anti-Hindu”, who’s answerable for the “migration” of Hindus from Murshidabad, the place violent clashes have been reported throughout protests towards the Waqf regulation.
Union Minister and Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar echoed comparable views on Ms Banerjee and mentioned that constructing temples is just not the job of the federal government. Elevating the Murshidabad difficulty, he mentioned, “On one facet, you might be killing Hindus, and on the opposite facet, you might be setting up temples. Setting up temples or mosques is just not the job of the federal government. The general public constructed the Ayodhya temple, not the federal government.”
“For the Jagannath Temple in Digha, folks ought to increase funds. Why does the state authorities should get entangled on this? Mamata Banerjee is making an attempt to win the elections by climbing on the shoulders of Lord Jagannath,” the BJP MP advised reporters.
The assaults drew a fierce counter from the Trinamool with celebration MP Kalyan Banerjee saying that the BJP considers solely these as Hindu who chant “Jai Shree Ram”.
Slamming Mr Adhikari, he mentioned, “Is he an actual Hindu? In response to the BJP’s Hinduism, the Hindus of West Bengal who observe the Hindus of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, eat veg and say ‘Jai Shree Ram’ are Santani Hindus.”
One other celebration chief, Kunal Ghosh, identified that Ms Banerjee belongs to the Hindu Brahmin neighborhood, and being secular, she respects all religions. He additionally sought to know why Mr Adhikari didn’t take into consideration this when he and his relations have been within the Trinamool.
“Mamata Banerjee belongs to a Brahmin Hindu household, and she or he is secular; she respects different religions. Suvendu Adhikari, his father and his brother have been with Mamata Banerjee for thus many days. Suvendu Adhikari was an MLA, MP and a minister from Trinamool, however he didn’t take into consideration all this again then,” mentioned Mr Ghosh.
Modelled after the Twelfth-century Puri temple, located about 350 km away in Odisha, Digha’s Jagannath shrine can be inaugurated by Ms Banerjee on Wednesday. The temple has been constructed by the state-run Housing Infrastructure Improvement Company (HIDCO) at a value of Rs 250 crore over 20 acres land.
Heavy safety is in place on the temple, together with police in civil gown and drone surveillance, forward of its opening in Digha. A maha-yagna is underway on the shrine that can be attended by the Chief Minister within the afternoon together with different dignitaries.
Digha is Bengal’s hottest sea resort that draws an enormous variety of vacationers around the 12 months. The city is situated in Purba Medinipur district, the fortress of Mr Adhikari, a former lieutenant of Ms Banerjee.
The Chief Minister had expressed hope that the temple would assist Digha rework into a world vacationer vacation spot. For a number of thousand years, the temple would function a spot for the congregation of individuals, she had mentioned.
“This temple will add a brand new feather to the state’s cap. Digha will develop into a world vacationer attraction. This may function a spot of concord. The ocean provides a particular allure to Digha. If it turns into a spot of pilgrimage, extra vacationers will come,” the Trinamool chief had mentioned.