Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is now gearing up for a carnival around the Durga Puja idol immersion ceremony on Tuesday, after ensuring a peaceful observance of Puja celebrations alongside Muharram, on Sunday.
CM Mamata on Monday, held a meeting to plan ahead for the October 3 Durga Puja immersion events on the arterial Red Road.
“Some of the noted puja organisers will be participating at the Red Road event being organised by the state government. I invite all of you to come and witness the beautiful event,” Mamata said.
More than 20,000 visitors and 2,500 VIPs are likely to watch the celebrations from designated seats set up on the sides of Red Road.
Over 50 Puja organisers will take part in the carnival that will be inaugurated by the chief minister. Several other important roads, including Mayo Road, Kidderpore Road and Bentinck Street will be closed for traffic for the three-hour event that starts at 5 pm.
Giant screens will be set up at various intersections for those who do not have passes for the event. Special security arrangements are being made by the Kolkata Police and snipers will deployed for the first time to thwart any untoward incident.
“I would like to thank all who participated in the festivities of the Durga Puja, the Puja committees for their cooperation and the police and administration for maintaining discipline,” Mamata said.
With Sunday’s Muharram and Durga Puja events, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee managed to silence her critics by successfully maintaining law and order that posed a hurdle for her counterpart in Uttar Pradesh, where several clashes broke out and many were left injured.
Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Rajeev Kumar said, “My officers did a commendable job in ensuring peace during Durga Puja and Muharram. I would also like to appreciate the people for helping and cooperating with us during the festive season.”
Banerjee has been embroiled in a huge controversy since August 24, when she declared that idol immersion would be banned on the day of Muharram, to avoid clashes between the two communities.
A Trinamool Congress leader said, “Her decision to ban idol immersion on the day of Muharram, had nothing to do with appeasement. There is a staff crunch in the police force in West Bengal and there are too many things that has to be managed with the limited resources.
“Opposition leaders always talk about appeasement politics, but never praise her for the several schemes that benefit all communities, including Hindus. BJP does not have a single issue, which could give them a firm ground to compete in the upcoming elections. Their campaign against Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of appeasement politics, is a well calculated political move to gain grounds.”
The state government’s restrictions on Durga idol immersion after 10 pm and ban on immersions on Muharram day had triggered a furore, with the BJP accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of playing the “politics of appeasement”.
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