Shah in Kolkata to Lay 125-ft Syama Prasad Statue's Foundation Stone on His B'day
The BJP Rajya Sabha MP added, The union home minister’s attendance will turn it into a historic occasion
Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah will visit the city in a whirlwind tour to attend Jana Sangh founder and BJP icon Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary celebration on Monday. He will land at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in the afternoon and will reach Eco Park in New Town to lay the foundation stone of a 125-ft tall statue of Mookerjee.
After the event, Mr Shah will travel to Mookerjee's residence in Bhowanipore to pay tribute to him. He will later attend another event on the same occasion at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan off EM Bypass. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya pointed out the uniqueness of the party's day-long celebration of the day which the state government recently declared a holiday.
“It is a matter of immense pride and joy for every BJP worker. Whether in West Bengal or as far away as Ladakh, everyone associated with the party and its ideology considers this an important day. For the first time, Syama Prasad’s birth anniversary is being celebrated with fanfare in his home state under a government inspired by his ideals,” he said.
The BJP Rajya Sabha MP added, “The union home minister’s attendance will turn it into a historic occasion.” Hours before Mr Shah’s visit, a newly-installed half bust statue of Mookerjee, which was slated for inauguration by BJP ranks on Monday, was vandalized by a group of people in the northern parts of the city. The incident took place at around 1.30 am on Sunday at APC Road near Sukea Street in Manicktala.
It came to light in the morning when the cemented nameplate on tiles was found broken. Alongside Mookerjee’s, a half-bust statue of Gopal Mukherjee, a Bengali meat shop owner who became popular with his moniker Gopal Pantha for turning out to be a savior of the Hindus during the communal riot, infamously known as Great Calcutta Killings of 1946, has also been installed there.
BJP workers later lodged a complaint with the police which later arrested an accused Rupesh Hazra (26) from Narkeldanga for vandalism.
