West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to inaugurate a Goddess Durga temple named “Durga Angan” in New Town, Kolkata. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized this move, calling it a part of what they label as Mamata Banerjee’s appeasement politics. The BJP’s Information Technology Cell chief, Amit Malviya, accused the Chief Minister of defiling the sanctity of Goddess Durga through this initiative.
The BJP’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s Durga Angan project is seen as a form of appeasement and fakery. He alleged that the project undermines the faith and beliefs of Bengali Hindus, reducing devotion to a mere exercise in vote-bank management. Malviya also mentioned protests by a group of Muslim residents who objected to the original site in New Town, claiming it was acquired from Muslims and remains “Muslim-origin land.”
Malviya further alleged that the Chief Minister abruptly halted the levelling work at the original site due to protests from Muslim residents. He claimed that contracts had already been awarded to Trinamool Congress (TMC)-linked contractors under questionable “cash-back arrangements.” The BJP representative stated that nearly Rs 10 crore had been spent on the project so far, with no tangible results to show for it. A new site was hastily chosen for the Durga Angan project, causing a shift from the earlier planned location.
