Mamata as Durga again?

A new controversy erupted in West Bengal after a club in Baguihati in North 24 Parganas said it would worship idol of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as Goddess Durga. Baguihati Nazrul Park Puja Committee this year decided to dedicate their puja to Mamata after the TMC’s landslide victory in the recent assembly election.

According to artist Mintu Pal, the idol will be made of clay and fiber to preserve it.

“The main idol will be Mamata didi with folded hands smiling. At the backdrop, there will be the logo of Biswa Bangla and ten hands will be seen from the logo with 10 schemes of the TMC government, including the recently-started Lakshmir Bhandar,” Mintu said, adding it will be the true depiction of ‘peaceful and developing West Bengal’.

According to sources, the Mamata’s idol will be preserved after puja.

Notably, during 2019 puja a club in Nadia worshipped a Mamata’s idol as Goddess Durga. A political slugfest started after West Bengal

BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said through the act, the Trinamool hurt the religious sentiments of people. “I believe in offering prayers to Maa Durga, who is Bengal and Bengalis’ pride. Whatever is happening is not right. Mamata calls herself secular while repeatedly hurting the sentiments of people of Bengal and Bengalis is inappropriate,” Ghosh said.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, “This deification of Mamata, who has blood of innocent Bengalis on her hand, following the gruesome post-poll violence in Bengal, is nauseating. This is an insult to goddess Durga. She must stop it. She is hurting the sentiments of Hindus of Bengal.”