Amid criticism from the BJP over her alleged "anti-Hindu" comments about the Mahakumbh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reaffirmed the importance of unity among religions and communities on Thursday, emphasising that different groups of people make up a country.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for a private healthcare facility in Kolkata, the chief minister talked about India’s final recorded polio case in Howrah district in January 2011.
She highlighted how her newly formed government collaborated with people from all communities and ensured that the stigma against polio vaccination was defeated, making West Bengal polio-free the following year.
“I realised that to vaccinate every child, we needed to take everyone in confidence. I reached out to [Hindu] priests, Imams, and Muezzins, asking them to fulfil their religious duties but also take on social responsibilities. They supported me, and within a year, we made the state polio-free," CM Banerjee said.
“Why don’t you think for once about the work that can be achieved if we take everyone in confidence? Who said that I don’t respect my religion?” she continued. “We respect everyone and every culture. ‘Unity and diversity’ is our tradition, our origin, our philosophy and our ideology.”
CM Banerjee’s recent remark in the West Bengal Assembly calling Mahakumbh “mrityu Kumbh” due to the stampede last month, which killed at least 30 people, has drawn criticism from the BJP and from a section of the Hindu community.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hit back at the comment made by his West Bengal counterpart, saying “baseless allegations” against the Mahakumbh were like “playing with the faith of 56 crore people” who have taken the holy dip.
Bengal BJP President and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar accused CM Banerjee of deliberately insulting the sentiment of Hindus “to appease jihadis” for electoral gains.
Meanwhile, during the day the West Bengal chief minister inaugurated the 'Banglar Haat' exhibition where a wide array of handicrafts and artworks created by artisans from every district across the state have been put on display.
