Promises to keep
Promises matter in elections because voters lack rationality. As election history shows, freebies do get votes. Hitherto, it was a time tested method of electoral success for a desperate opposition.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her government have been making efforts to renovate and revamp religious places and places of pilgrimage in the state. She has also been harping on the message of unity within the religious diversity in the state.
Miss Banerjee, who today addressed a gathering at Chakla North 24-Parganas after offering puja at Loknath temple, rolled out a list of projects funded by the state government, where it has spent on religious places.
Elucidating further, the chief minister claimed that about Rs 9cr was spent for the temple revamp of which she said two new gates were installed and one Bhog Bhavan too has come up at an estimated cost of Rs 5.15cr.
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“As much as over Rs 400cr were spent on the revamp and beautification of religious places and places of worship in the state. Dakshineswar temple and the Kalighat temple had been spruced up. Like Dakshineswar, Kalighat temple too will have its own skywalk soon,” Miss Banerjee said.
She also said that Gangasagar would draw more than 70 lakh pilgrims this year. “Previous year, the footfall at Gangasagar was around 70 lakh. This time, it could exceed that estimate. Gangasagar has undergone a sea change. Earlier, there were hardly any places to stay but now that shortcoming had been addressed.”
She also held that the under-construction Jagannath temple at Digha, modelled on the original Odisha temple, would be another feather in the state’s cap.
She also rolled out a list of various projects meant for the Matua community , which she claimed was enormous in terms of benefits being derived by the community.
The chief minister did not spare the opportunity to lambast the BJP on dividing the community on religious lines.
Calling upon the people to dump the BJP in the state, the chief minister said that Bengal is the symbol of unity in diversity and any effort to undo that must be resisted at all costs.
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