TMC party office with puja room triggers controversy

A newly-constructed Trinamool Congress party office at Bolpur with a separate puja room (‘Thakur ghar’) having several deities installed in it has drawn flak from the BJP saying it was ‘drama’ of the ruling party to ‘mislead’ the people.

The three-storied building fitted with CCTV cameras houses an air-conditioned meeting hall, offices of the party’s various organisations, chambers for the party president and ministers from the district, and the puja room.

Puja and yagna were performed before inauguration of the building in Birbhum district on Saturday, on the auspicious day of Rath Yatra.

“With all these drama, the TMC is trying to mislead the people. The people are angry with their minority appeasement policy,” BJP’s Birbhum district president Ramkrishna Roy said.

TMC district president Anubrata Mondal said, “We have equal respect for all religions. We have placed a replica of Azmer Sharif Dargah too. In my office room, there is a replica of Data Saheb (a Sufi saint of Birbhum).”

Idols of lord Jagannath, goddess Kali and other Hindu deities were installed in the puja room.

Abhijit Singha, district vice president of the party, said, “The puja room is permanent. Regular puja will be offered to goddess Kali and other deities”.

A number of photographs of party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee adorns the walls of the rooms, while a painting created by Banerjee with oil also got a pride of place in Mondal’s chamber.

To a question on the proposed BJP party office, the saffron party leader said, “We have not yet made any final plan of it. There is likely to be a meditation hall, but no permanent temple will be built in our party office.”