KOLKATA: Ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been opening durga pujas because of her close association with the festivity even before becoming CM, but wondered why Union Home Minister Amit Shah has chosen to inaugurate a durga puja in Kolkata.
TMC secretary-general and state minister Partha Chatterjee said Shah could have inaugurated a Durga puja in C R Park in Delhi instead of travelling all the way to Kolkata to do so.
He, however, said "this is for him (Shah) to decide where he should go."
The BJP president is scheduled to inaugurate a community durga puja in B J Block of Salt Lake in the metropolis on Tuesday.
When told about Banerjee starting durga pujas,Chatterjee said "She has been with the durga puja celebrations for several years, even before she became the chief minister.
" "Let them first make attempts to become part of puja, for which one has to be with the people for years.
Mamata Banerjee has been with the puja organisers and people for years," Chatterjee said while reacting to Shah's puja programme.
Like in the past, Banerjee this time also has been visiting durga puja pandals here even before the Mahalaya (start of the puja).
B J Block Puja committee president- Umashankar Ghosh Dastidar- said on Sunday that Shah has given his consent to inaugurate the puja at 7 pm on October 1.
"It has been shortlisted for inauguration by Amit Shah among five pujas of the city," BJP state General Secretary Sayantan Basu said.
Earlier, Basu after becoming president of the committee of a well-known durga puja in south Kolkata had proposed to invite Shah to inaugurate it.
However, soon after the proposal, the committee was dissolved in the early August and Basu removed from it.
A new committee was formed with chief minister's brother Kartik Banerjee at the helm.
The committee had then dropped the plan to invite the Union Home minister to inaugurate the puja.