Amit Shah to open Durga Puja in Kolkata today

Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a Durga Puja patronised by a BJP councillor, Sajal Ghosh, which is themed on the Ram Temple, in central Kolkata on Monday.

The state BJP said Mr Shah will land at Kolkata airport in the afternoon and travel to Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja in the Sealdah area for the inauguration.

Mr Ghosh, who is the councillor of Ward 50 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, said: "Mr Shah will inaugurate our puja mandap on October 16. This year, we have designed the pandal as the Ram Mandir of Ayodhya. It is a great pride for us that our mandap will be inaugurated by him."

The Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja, which was earlier patronised by the late father of Mr Ghosh , Congress leader Pradip Ghosh, has been a crowd-puller every year in the city for its themes.

This is not the first time Mr Shah is trying to reach out to the Bengali communities ahead of an election. In 2019, he had inaugurated a Durga Puja in Salt Lake after the



BJP won 18 seats in the Lok Sabha polls that year.

Mr Shah is expected to hold a meeting at the airport with BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and party MP Locket Chatterjee, during his brief one-day tour.

State BJP chief and Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar will not be among the attendees, however, as he is unwell. His predecessor, Dilip Ghosh, will also not be at any of the events.

The Midnapore BJP MP claimed: "I have no information about Mr Shah’s visit. If I am informed, I will be there. Tomorrow, I have a schedule to have lunch with my party workers in Kolkata."

The Trinamul Congress has ridiculed the BJP’s attempt to woo Bengalis ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: "Mr Shah’s proposed visit shows how the BJP lied about Bengal earlier, alleging that Durga Puja is not celebrated here. Now the Union home minister is coming here to inaugurate a puja."