Kolkata, Sept. 11 -- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said the 2027 Ganga Sagar Mela, the first edition after the BJP came to power, would be a truly international fair. He also reiterated that Durga Puja would be celebrated on a grand scale this year.

"Ganga Sagar Mela will be an international fair this time. Durga Puja will be celebrated on a grand scale," Adhikari said at a 'Ram Katha' programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

He accused the previous TMC government of allowing "infiltrators" to enter India and change the state's demography. He also alleged that Bengal had been the cultural capital of India but 35 years of Left rule and 15 years of TMC rule have destroyed it.

"Bengal is the land of Rishis and Munis; we will not allow 'Kashmir Mange Azadi' slogans here. We have made 'Vande Mataram' mandatory in madrasas as well," he said, calling Bengal and Kolkata centres of Sanatani culture. He urged people to "remove fear and chant the name of Ram" and strengthen "our Sanatan parampara".

Accusing TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee of being anti-Hindu, Adhikari said: "Fulfilling the dreams of crores of Hindus, the Ram Temple came up in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024." However, he alleged that "someone against Hindus" had taken out an anti-Ram temple construction rally in the city on that day. "She was defeated by the people of Bhowanipore," he said.

Adhikari said the present government had handed over 1,024.75 acres for border fencing to check the entry of illegal Bangladeshis who, he alleged, posed a threat to internal security. "Around 90 per cent of the land required by border guards has been arranged, as this government gives priority to the safety of the nation," he said.

Accusing the TMC of practising appeasement politics, Adhikari said: "We are bringing the Uniform Civil Code and have stopped imam and muazzin bhata

(allowance). We are bringing law to stop religious conversion." He added that his government had enforced the Cattle Slaughter Control Act of 1950 to protect cows.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.