Kolkata, Dec 29 (NationPress) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee officially inaugurated the foundation stone for Durga Angan, the temple dedicated to Goddess Durga, located in New Town on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

Additionally, she revealed that the ceremony to lay the foundation for the Mahakal temple, honoring Lord Shiva, in Siliguri within the Darjeeling district is scheduled for the second week of next month.

“Today marks the laying of the foundation stone for Durga Angan, and construction will commence shortly. The groundwork for the Mahakal temple in Siliguri will begin next month in the second week of January. The land has been earmarked, and I have set the date for this ceremony,” stated the Chief Minister during the event.

The Durga Angan will cover an area of 2 lakh square feet and is expected to host 1 lakh visitors simultaneously.

On this occasion, Banerjee emphasized her respect for all religions but noted that she faces scrutiny for attending Ramzan functions. “I honor the traditions of the religions I participate in,” she remarked.

“The Durga Angan will not merely serve as a religious site; it will also create numerous job opportunities. In West Bengal, efforts to instigate divisions based on religion will not succeed. The construction of this temple has been entrusted to those responsible for building the Lord Jagannath temple in Digha, and a trust led by West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant will manage its operations,” the Chief Minister added.

Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized this initiative, labeling it as another instance of what they term her appeasement politics. BJP's Information Technology Cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, took to social media to assert that after the recent tumult involving Lionel Messi at Salt Lake Stadium, the Chief Minister is poised to “taint the image of Goddess Durga.”