Union Home Minister Amit Shah after offering prayers at the Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata on September 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Invoking political change in the next year’s Assembly polls in West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (September 26, 2025) inaugurated Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata.The Union Home Minister said he prayed to the Goddess that after elections there should be such a government in the State that can build Sonar Bangla’ (a golden Bengal).“I have prayed to Maa Durga that after this election, a government should be formed that can build a ‘Sonar Bangla’ (golden Bengal). So that our Bengal should once again become safe, prosperous, peaceful and abundant and we should be able to build a Bengal that Kavi Guru Rabindranath Tagore had envisioned,” Mr. Shah said.नवरात्रि के पावन पर्व पर कोलकाता पहुँचा।चाहे पश्चिम बंगाल के दुर्गा पंडाल हों, या गुजरात के गरबा रास, पूरा देश माँ दुर्गा की आराधना के पर्व को बड़े हर्षोल्लास से मना रहा है। सुबह कालीघाट मंदिर में माँ काली के दर्शन-पूजन करूँगा। साथ ही, दुर्गा पूजा पंडालों का उद्घाटन भी करूँगा।… pic.twitter.com/t9OCRJxdoF— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 25, 2025The Home Minister inaugurated the Durga Puja pandal of Santosh Mitra Square. BJP leader Sajal Ghosh is the patron of the Durga Puja and the theme of the pandal this year is ‘Operation Sindoor.’The Home Minister also inaugurated the Durga Puja pandal of the BJP-backed Paschim Banga Sanskriti Mancha at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake. He also visited Kalighat Kali temple.The Union Home Minister’s visit to Kolkata during the Durga Puja, the last before the State goes to Assembly polls in 2026 assumes political significance. The Trinamool Congress is trying to make the most of the festival season with the State Government rolling out ₹1.10 lakh to each community puja and the Chief Minister setting the task of inaugurating 3,000 Durga Pujas in the State.By bringing the party’s Central leadership to inaugurate Durga Pujas in Kolkata, the BJP wants to counter Trinamool Congress’s “anti-Bengali” jibe at the BJP. Mr. Shah tributes to Vidyasagar triggers controversy.Mr. Shah also paid tributes to educationist and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar on his birth anniversary. The 205th birth anniversary of the social reformer was observed on Friday (September 26, 2025).“No one can forget what Vidyasagar ji did for education, not only in Bengal but throughout the country during the colonial era. He dedicated his entire life to the Bengali language, the State’s culture and the education of women. Today, on behalf of crores of BJP workers, I bow to the feet of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar,” the Home Minister said.Taking a cue from Mr. Shah’s speech the Trinamool Congress leadership targeted Mr. Shah and said the idol of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised in Kolkata in May 2019 during Amit Shah’s Road Show in Kolkata. Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited Vidyasagar College where the violence had occurred in 2019 and paid homage to the social reformer.“Let him be reminded that six years ago, in 2019, his Bangla-Birodhi rally saw the vandalisation of Vidyasagar’s statue. Even today, @BJP4India ’s marauders continue their brazen attempts to trample upon Bengal’s pride. The people of Bengal are not deceived by this hollow performance of “love for Bengal.” Amit Shah and BJP will face a fitting and unequivocal response, exactly where it is due,” Trinamool Congress said on social media Published - September 26, 2025 12:36 pm IST
