Didi: I Don’t Appease, I Practise Secularism
Sharing details of ‘Durga Angan’ project, she informed that the destination spread across two lakh sq ft can accommodate one lakh visitors daily.
Kolkata: With “secularism” on her lips to shrug off BJP's slur of "appeasement" politics, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday laid the foundation stone of 'Durga Angan', a proposed temple on Goddess Durga, in New Town and also announced of building a Mahakal Temple.
The Trinamul Congress supremo made her next plan public hours before union home minister Amit Shah reached the city on a two-day yearend visit to supervise his party's preparations for the upcoming Assembly Election in the state.
In a veiled reference to the BJP, Ms Banerjee said, “People often accuse me of resorting to appeasement. This is not correct. I'm secular in a real sense. I attend all religious programmes. When I visit a Gurudwara, you say nothing. But you criticise me when I attend an Eid programme.”
Sharing details of ‘Durga Angan’ project, she informed that the destination spread across two lakh sq ft can accommodate one lakh visitors daily. “It will be the biggest Durga Temple in the world to honour the UNESCO intangible heritage title awarded to the festival,” Ms Banerjee explained.
She then pointed out how her government offered support to various religious institutions by providing them land. On her next project, the CM said, “The foundation stone of Mahakal Temple will be laid in the second week of January. I have selected the land and the date.”
She also expressed her anguish over the deaths due to the special intensive revision of voters' list which has been underway. “People have been subjected to harassment. Already more than 50 people have died either by suicide or in stress. This can not be tolerated. Anyone living in Bengal needs to show proof of citizenship,” Ms Banerjee added.
Meanwhile, Mr Shah, who arrived here in the evening, visited the BJP office in Salt Lake from the Kolkata Airport and held a meeting with the state leadership there. On Tuesday, he will meet BJP MPs and MLAs and then the RSS functionaries to take stock of the organizational strength. On Wednesday, the union home minister is expected to visit Thanthania Kali Temple before addressing a party meeting at the Science City.