Dilip meets Didi after offering prayers; ‘personal call’, says BJP
Times of India | 1 May 2025
Kolkata/Digha: Bengal BJP senior Dilip Ghosh met CM Mamata Banerjee in Digha after the inauguration of the Jagannath Dham on Wednesday and, referring to her as "Didi", said he was impressed by the temple complex. Ghosh's meeting with the CM comes in the backdrop of Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who was also invited, not only staying away but holding a "Sanatani dharma sammelan" 28km away in Contai after a Calcutta High Court nod.
Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar referred to Ghosh's presence at the event as a "personal decision" that the "party did not endorse". When questioned by reporters, Adhikari said: "I will not comment on what others do or say. I only respond to the comments, actions, or falsehoods of one person — Mamata Banerjee."
Ghosh, who went to Digha with his wife Rinku, said there was no party diktat regarding his visit to the temple. "I like to visit temples, and the party cannot bar me from paying tribute to Lord Jagannath. Even if there was any whip, I would not have paid heed to it," he said.
Acknowledging Bengal govt's invitation as an "honour", Ghosh reached the temple around 5.30 pm, almost two hours after the formal inauguration. State power minister Aroop Biswas took the former Bengal BJP president and his wife to the sanctum sanctorum. The couple offered puja to the idols, which were consecrated on Wednesday. Later, the CM came to meet Ghosh and they spoke in the administrative building.
Banerjee told Ghosh that it was a stupendous task to construct the temple. "Yesterday (Wednesday) was very hot and humid, and for four hours I did the yagna. The temperature was so high, I felt like I was burning. There is such a huge rush of visitors from today," the CM said.
Ghosh told her the temple would be a permanent asset for the next few centuries to come. He also praised the officials and the CM for toiling hard to complete it.
Speaking to reporters later, Ghosh said: "Akshay Tritiya is an auspicious day on which we usually participate in religious programmes. The inauguration of the Jagannath temple in Digha is happening on such a day, and I have been invited. Why wouldn't I come?" He added: "There are many events for Hindu awakening on Akshay Tritiya. Establishing a temple is also part of Hindu awakening."
When asked why he didn't stop in Contai, the BJP neta replied: "I wasn't invited there. I was invited to Digha and Shyampur, so I went... There are countless events on Akshay Tritiya. Am I supposed to attend all of them? I am going where I have been invited."
While some BJP netas, including MP Saumitra Khan, attacked Ghosh on social media, state unit president and junior Union minister Majumdar only said: "The party believes that the way Hindus were attacked in Murshidabad, the way temples were destroyed, and houses were set on fire, going there (Digha's Jagannath Dham) would mean disregarding those incidents. Therefore, the party decided that none of us would attend the inaugural event. He went there in a personal capacity... I heard that his wife was also invited personally."