A BJP official claimed that Amit Shah posters were removed and replaced with Mamata Banerjee’s. They filed a complaint, and activists later displayed Shah’s posters at Kalighat temple during his Durga Puja visit

Kolkata

The West Bengal BJP on Friday filed a police complaint alleging that posters welcoming Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Kolkata’s Kalighat temple were removed by unknown individuals, party leaders said. According to the BJP, banners and flexes on roads leading to the temple and SP Mukherjee Road were not only taken down but replaced with posters of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

A party official said, “Our posters welcoming Amit Shah were removed and replaced with Trinamool Congress posters showing Mamata Banerjee. We have lodged a complaint at Kalighat Police Station and requested a thorough investigation.” Later, BJP activists held Shah’s posters to welcome him at the temple, where he performed puja during his two-day visit for Durga Puja celebrations.

When approached, a senior Kolkata Police officer said the matter is under investigation. Meanwhile, TMC senior leader and Minister Firhad Hakim dismissed the allegations, calling them baseless. He added that BJP has little presence in the Kalighat and Bhowanipore areas, the latter being Mamata Banerjee’s constituency and close to her residence. “I don’t think anyone removed the posters. It could be an issue with the agency they employed,” Hakim remarked.

The incident has added a political angle to Shah’s visit, highlighting the ongoing rivalry between the BJP and TMC in West Bengal during the festive season.