The BJP on Saturday threatened to drag the state government-owned West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Corporation Ltd(WBHIDCO) to court for reportedly spending ₹42 crore to send the mahaprasad of Digha’s Jagannath Temple to households in Bengal in violation of norms.

“The mandate of the WBHIDCO is to construct buildings for the government. This is why we did not say anything when it constructed the temple.... But how can it spend such an amount to distribute prasad to households?” asked Jagannath Chattopadhyay, a general secretary of the state BJP, in a video message on Facebook on Saturday.

The state government took the initiative to send prasad of the Digha Jagannath temple to homes in Bengal on chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s instructions.

“The districts were asked to arrange for gawja and peda. The photograph of Jagannath idol and the packet were supplied centrally from Calcutta. The DMs were asked to spend up to ₹10 each for gawja and peda,” a state government source said.

Chattopadhyay alleged that the DMs and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation were initially given ₹32 crore by the WBHIDCO, and then the top government brass asked the WBHIDCO to send another ₹10 crore to the DMs. “The WBHIDCO is sending the funds under the token appreciation and award head. Can the company spend money on this purpose?” he asked.

BJP leaders also raised questions whether the sweet shops from where the sweets — the peda and the gawja — are being procured locally in the districts have required food safety license.

"These shops were being given the required license overnight. We will also raise the issue as and when required," said a BJP leader.

The BJP leaders also said the state government was diverting funds to the WBHIDCO to meet the expense of prasad distribution.

"This is unethical... No government can spend money for any religious activity. If the WBHIDCO does not divulge who ordered them to spend on prasad distribution to households, we will drag them to court where they would be forced to divulge the details," said Chattopadhyay.

“Are they sure that the funds were used from there (WBHIDCO)?” asked TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, accusing the BJP of “desperation”. "The BJP has become so desperate to attack any work of the state government and the Trinamool Congress that they have now started attacking Lord Jagannath. They will certainly get a befitting reply for such behaviour," Ghosh said.

Other TMC leaders also claimed that no rules were being violated.

Calls from this newspaper to WBHIDCO officials went unanswered.