Kolkata, 6 August (H.S.) – West Bengal’s political arena witnessed fresh controversy on Wednesday after Leader of the Opposition and senior BJP legislator Suvendu Adhikari accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of insulting social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

According to Adhikari, during a march in Jhargram last Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee removed the uttariya (a traditional scarf) she was wearing and placed it around Vidyasagar’s statue. He alleged that this act amounted not only to an insult to Vidyasagar but also to the Bengali community and its language. Adhikari shared a video of the incident on social media platform X, claiming it showed Banerjee taking off her own scarf and draping it over the statue.

Citing Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s description of Vidyasagar as an unparalleled figure in Bengal, Adhikari said such a gesture was akin to “mixing the crow with the cuckoo” – a Bengali idiom for making an inappropriate comparison. He questioned whether draping one’s personal attire on a statue of a revered personality aligned with Indian cultural traditions.

Adhikari further alleged that Banerjee considered herself above all and lacked due respect for Bengal’s iconic figures. He recalled Vidyasagar’s contribution to reforming and simplifying the Bengali script, making it more accessible to the masses, and said such treatment of his statue was unacceptable.

Demanding an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister, Adhikari quipped that if there were no funds for a fresh scarf or garland, homage could still have been paid without placing a personal garment, but the choice made by Banerjee went against the spirit of Indian tradition.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh