The DM of East Burdwan landed into a controversy after she compared the chief minister Mamata Banerjee with Devi Durga during the inauguration of the state government’s Srishtishree Fair, this afternoon.
The BJP district committee reacted sharply to the comparison and has threatened to take the issue to the Election Commission of India seeking penal action against Bidhan Chandra Roy, the DM. In 2003, the BJP’s mentor organization, RSS incidentally had hailed Mamata Banerjee as Bengal’s Durga, after she’d visited the Nagpur headquarters of the organization seeking the Sangh Parivar’s support in her struggle against the then ruling Communist brigade in Bengal.
At Spandan stadium in Burdwan town, the DM was addressing the inauguration of Srishtishree Mela, a fair of self-help groups. While inspiring the women-run SHGs, the DM said, “You can see how our chief minister is handling everything alone like Devi Durga. You also can make similar efforts to ensure an all-round development of the society.” State library minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury was present at the function when the DM made the comparison. The BJP, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, has taken strong exception to this. Sudhir Ranjan Saw, the district general secretary of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha said, “We’ve estimated this hyper flattering by the DM highly objectionable and seeking ECI’s immediate intervention to remove him before the polling begins.”