Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday trained guns at the BJP for the recent incidents of attack and torture on Bengali-speaking Muslim migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, while she tried to consolidate Hindu votes by laying the foundation stone of a Mahakal temple near Siliguri.
Trinamool Congress insiders said Mamata's temple politics was her desperate attempt to thwart the BJP from consolidating Hindu votes by playing the polarisation card, while attacking the BJP on the issue of migrant workers was her way to galvanise minority support with an eye on the Assembly elections. She also alleged harassment of people in the name of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls to push further the “anti-Bengali’ narrative against the BJP.
“BJP leaders are seeking votes in Bengal, while in the BJP–ruled states, migrant workers from Bengal are being tortured and attacked. Even yesterday, such an incident happened in Bihar,” Mamata told journalists at the Calcutta airport, before leaving for Bagdogra.
“Police cases have been registered for every such incident of torture, and arrests will be made. We are also standing in support of the affected migrant workers and their families,” she added.
The chief minister accused the BJP and the Election Commission of deleting the names of people from the electoral roll.
“Unlike other states, domicile certificates are not accepted in Bengal (as an identity proof for the SIR). I would, however, not relent and would strive for people to uphold democracy against autocracy and am ready to lay my life,” said Mamata.
Such an assertion from the chief minister comes at a time when people are resorting to protests in different parts of Bengal against alleged harassment during the SIR and attacks on migrant workers who serve in other states.
“It is evident that the Trinamool supremo is eyeing the migrant population as well as their families. In earlier elections, these people had voted for Trinamool in large numbers, as is evident from the results in districts like Malda, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur from where thousands work in other states,” said a political observer.
In the afternoon, Mamata landed in Bagdogra and reached Matigara, which is on the outskirts of Siliguri. There, she laid the foundation stone of the Mahakal temple, a project that she had announced in October.
“The temple complex will have a statue of Mahakal (a form of Shiva), which will be made of bronze and will have a height of 216ft. While the statue will be 108 feet high, the pedestal will be of an equal height,” Mamata told the gathering.
She said the state government provided 17 acres of land for the project and formed a board of trustees for it.
At the complex, there will be two “Nandi Griha,” 12 “Abhishek Linga” temples and replicas of the 12 “Jyotirlinga” of the country.
“There will be temples of Ganesha, Kartik, Shakti and Vishnu Narayan in four corners of the complex. It will have a museum, two sabha mandaps, a cafeteria and accommodation for priests. The temple will be adorned with stone sculptures and frescoes, and will have two waterbodies,” said the chief minister.
Added to it, there will be centres to distribute prasad and sell souvenirs.
“The temple complex will be a major attraction for religious tourism. We plan to develop this region as a global tourism hub, which will also create new employment opportunities and boost the local economy,” said Mamata.
In the course of her speech, the chief minister took a dig at the BJP and referred to the migrants’ issue again. “Bengali-speaking people are being tortured in other states. Why is this happening? In Bengal, we all live together in harmony. Attacking and assaulting people cannot be one’s “dharma,” you should love all,” the chief minister said.
Mamata said the state government was working on a proposal to build an international convention centre in Siliguri. “We are ready to provide land free of cost and want private parties to come forward and take up the project,” she said.
In recent months, Trinamool’s “temple politics” led to repercussions in the political circles. However, Mamata’s move on Friday hinted that she and her party were keen to counter the BJP, which largely used the Ram Mandir issue to draw votes.
“This is yet another strategic move by the chief minister to consolidate Hindu votes and to counter the BJP’s narrative against her and Trinamool. The decision to build the temple is something which the BJP leaders cannot oppose as it is against their party’s line,” said an observer.