The West Bengal BJP has pitched Union Home Minister Amit Shah against CM Mamata Banerjee for the Durga Puja pandal inaugurations this year.
The West Bengal BJP has pitched Union Home Minister Amit Shah against CM Mamata Banerjee for the Durga Puja pandal inaugurations this year. With an aim to boost public connect, the Bengal BJP has invited Union minister Amit Shah to inaugurate the Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata.
A team from Union Home Ministry has reached Kolkata and is visiting the puja pandals proposed for the home minister’s visit by the Bengal BJP.
The Bengal BJP has proposed three Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata and a few on the outskirts of Kolkata to be inaugurated by Shah. Among them, one is BJP leader Sajal Ghosh’s Santosh Mitra Square, the second is BJP’s Durga Puja in EZCC, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020, and the third puja is in Saltlake FD block.
The team from the Union Home Ministry will visit these areas and report back to Delhi.
However, it is still not confirmed whether the home minister will be available for the inauguration.
Meanwhile, Mithun Chakraborty has landed in Kolkata and is inaugurating several Durga Puja, including state BJP president Sukanta Majumadar’s Durga Puja in Balurghat. Apart from these, Subhendu Adhikary and Dilip Ghosh are also inaugurating several Durga Puja pandals.
Politicians in Bengal have a firm belief that inaugurating Durga Puja is one of the better ways to connect with people.
Mamata Banerjee has also started inaugurating Durga Puja, for the first time during Pitru Paksha. Generally, Puja inaugurations start after Mahalaya, the ending of Pitru Paksha and starting Devi Paksha. The BJP has already started critisising West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for inaugurating Durga Puja during Pitru Paksha. Shubhendu Adhikari said it was deemed inauspicious to start new work during Pitru Paksha, but Mamata doesn’t know about Hinduism.
Tough competition between the two rival parties was witnessed before the 2021 Bengal assembly elections where both parties tried to knock out one another in inaugurating Durga Puja. This year seems no different.
