Kolkata, 28 December (H.S.): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, posted on the social media platform 'X' on Sunday, levelling serious allegations against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In his post, Adhikari questioned the state government's intentions and decision-making process regarding the foundation stone laying ceremony for the proposed 'Durgangan' project in Newtown.
Suvendu Adhikari wrote that according to the previously announced schedule, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was supposed to lay the foundation stone for 'Durgangan' in Newtown on December 29. For this purpose, tenders were issued over the past two months, and the earth-filling work was allegedly awarded to contractors associated with a Trinamool-backed syndicate. A grand stage had also been prepared for the foundation stone laying ceremony at a designated location under the Health Department, near Eco Park, opposite the Westin Hotel on Biswa Bangla Sarani in Newtown.
However, according to Suvendu Adhikari, a controversy suddenly erupted over the project. He claimed that some Muslim families also owned the land where Durgangan was planned to be built. These families and the local Muslim community allegedly objected to a Hindu religious site being constructed on their land with government funds.
Suvendu Adhikari alleged that this objection left the Chief Minister in a dilemma. He wrote that on one hand, projects like Durgangan and Mahakal Temple were announced keeping Hindu sentiments in mind, while on the other hand, there was the risk of alienating the Muslim vote bank. Consequently, the location of Durgangan was allegedly hastily changed to a site near the Newtown bus stand, even though the new location was previously designated for industrial use.
In his post, Suvendu Adhikari also accused the Chief Minister of playing politics with religion. He said that this attempt to drag Goddess Durga into politics could backfire and make things even more difficult for the Chief Minister in the coming days.
As of the time of writing of the report, there has been no official response from the state government on this matter.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
