Kolkata:
A newly built temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath in the coastal city of Digha in West Bengal has become the center of a political flashpoint between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government and BJP.
The BJP has called Ms. Banerjee a “fake Hindu”, which states that government money cannot be used to build temples.
“Puri Dham Puri Dham will remain. Mamta Banerjee is a fake Hindu. Temples cannot be constructed using government money. It is a cultural center, not a temple. Do not mislead the people of Bengal. Hindus were not built in the temple in themselves. Any government funds were used for Ram temple (in Ayodhya).
Shri Adikari also called Ms. Banerjee a “anti -Hindu”, which is responsible for the “migration” of Hindus from Murshidabad, where violent clashes were reported during the protest against the Waqf law.
Union Minister and Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar echoed similar views on Ms. Banerjee and said that the construction of temples is not the government’s job. Increasing the issue of Murshidabad, he said, “On one hand, you are killing Hindus, and on the other, you are building temples. It is not the government’s job to build temples or mosques. The public built the Ayodhya temple, not the government.”
The BJP MP told reporters, “For the Jagannath temple in Digha, people should raise money. Why does the state government have to join it? Mamata Banerjee is trying to win the election by climbing Lord Jagannath’s shoulders.”
The attacks attracted a fierce counter with party MP Kalyan Banerjee from Trinmool, stating that the BJP only considers people who chant “Jai Shri Ram”.
Smoting Sri Adikari, he said, “Are he a real Hindu? According to BJP’s Hinduism, Hindus of West Bengal who follow Hindus of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, eat veg and say that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is a Hindus.”
Another party leader, Kunal Ghosh, said that Ms. Banerjee belongs to the Hindu Brahmin community, and as secular, she respects all religions. He also tried to find out why Mr. Adhikari did not think about when he and his family members were in Trinamool.
“Mamta Banerjee belongs to a Brahmin Hindu family, and she is secular; she respects other religions. Suvandu Adikari, her brother and her brothers were with Mamata Banerjee for so many days. Suwandu and a minister, but she said that it was not about everyone.
After the 12th century Puri temple, Jagannath Shrine of Digha, located about 350 km in Odisha, will be inaugurated by Ms. Banerjee on Wednesday. The temple has heavy security, which includes police in civil dress and drone surveillance, which is before its inauguration in Digha.
Digha is the most popular sea resort in Bengal which attracts a large number of tourists in the year. The city is located in Purba Medinipur district, the fort of Shri Adhikari, former Lieutenant of Ms. Banerjee.
The Chief Minister had hoped that the temple would help in converting Digha into an international tourist destination. For several thousand years, the temple will serve as a place for the congregation of the people, he said.
“This temple will add a new wing to the state cap. Digha will develop in an international tourist attraction. It will serve as a place of harmony. Sea adds a special attraction to Digha. If it becomes a place of pilgrimage, more tourists will come,” the Trinumool chief said.
