Mamata announces inauguration date of Jagannath Temple at Digha, BJP questions state funding behind it

Kolkata, Dec 11 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, announced that the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple at Digha, on the lines of the iconic Puri Jagannath Temple, will be done in April next year on Akshaya Tritiya (April 30).

During a visit to the site, the Chief Minister said that she promised to construct a Jagannath Temple near the sea beaches of Digha. “The work has been completed after three years. The inauguration will be done on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya next year,” the Chief Minister said.

However, the Chief Minister was not willing to draw any comparison of the new temple with the iconic one at Puri. “The one at Puri was built by the royal family. This one is totally a state government initiative,” the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari claimed that as per the documents of the state government, the name of the under-construction temple at Digha is Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre and the implementing agency is the state-run Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO).

“Now the Indian Constitution does not allow government investment behind any religious project. This is an unconstitutional effort by the state government and we are against such efforts. The Puri temple will always remain in the hearts of millions of traditional Hindus as one of the four Dhams,” the Leader of the Opposition said.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister had clarified that since she is against any kind of political interference in the matter of the temple at Digha, she has refrained from being a member of the trustee board of the temple.

“Whatever I have done has been as a volunteer. Now the affairs will be managed by the trustee board members,” the Chief Minister said.

–IANS

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