Hooghly, 30 December (H.S.):
On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone for the Durgangan temple in New Town. She also announced that the foundation stone for the Mahakal temple in North Bengal would be laid in January. Discussions surrounding temples and mosques are intensifying in state politics ahead of the assembly elections. Amidst this, Pirzada Toha Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif has openly expressed his views on the matter.
Criticizing the Chief Minister's temple construction initiative, Pirzada Toha Siddiqui said that while there is no objection to the construction of temples and churches, mosques should also be built. He alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is taking a politically incorrect step by building temples.
After the foundation stone laying ceremony of Durgangan, Toha Siddiqui said that the expectations with which temples are being built for the Hindu community will not be fulfilled. According to him, Given how Mamata Banerjee has worked so far, there was no need to build temples and mosques. But now, an attempt is being made to win back the Hindu votes that have shifted away.
He further added, Durgangan is being built, and the Jagannath temple has also been constructed. But no Hindu brother had demanded that Mamata Banerjee build a temple. On the other hand, we, the minority community, have been demanding a mosque, but why is it not being built? Mamata Banerjee thinks that by building temples, she will win the hearts of Hindu voters and the votes that have gone away from her will return. I think this is a misconception on her part. The minority community is also unhappy about this issue.
Toha Siddiqui also said that he had demanded the construction of a mosque in the HIDCO area. He claimed that a large number of highly educated young men and women live there, but there is no mosque for them to offer prayers. He questioned why a mosque could not be built with Waqf funds. Toha alleged that 13 temples have been built so far, but despite repeated requests, a mosque has not been constructed.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
