Kolkata, Sep 21 (IANS) On the occasion of Mahalaya on Sunday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated multiple Durga Puja Pandals in the state, some physically and others virtually, and then stressed that only in an ambience of unity, peace can prevail in the country.

“Peace can prevail in the country only if communal unity prevails. Otherwise, peace cannot prevail. I personally think that Bengal means unity of religion, culture, language, and caste. Bengal always believes in all-inclusivity,” the Chief Minister said while inaugurating a community Puja Pandal in South Kolkata.

Speaking on the occasion, she said now that the Union government is making tall claims about the next generation goods and service tax (GST) returns, the real credit for it goes to the state government, which will have to bear the financial loss because of the reforms.

“Still, we are not complaining since the sufferings of the common people have lessened to an extent because of the development. I am sure that BJP-ruled states will be indirectly compensated for the loss. But we in Bengal are being denied our share in central funds. Because of the GST reforms, West Bengal’s financial loss will be to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore,” Mamata said.

The Chief Minister started her community Puja pandal inaugurations on Saturday, and on the first day, she highlighted the issue of alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers across the country.

She continued to attack the BJP on the issue on Sunday and said that the BJP did not have the right to impose language restrictions on anyone. “In Bengal, no one is harassed for speaking in any language other than Bengali. Then why will Bengalis be harassed in other states for speaking in their mother language?” the Chief Minister questioned.

On Sunday, the Chief Minister, along with Trinamool Congress’s general secretary and the party’s Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, also attended the inauguration of the Puja Edition of the party’s organ in Bengali, ‘Jago Bangla’ (Wake up Bengal).

Speaking on the occasion, Abhishek Banerjee claimed that a few years back, an attempt was made to float a false narrative that the celebration of Durga Puja was not allowed in Bengal. “But today, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, Bengal’s Durga Puja has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” he said.

–IANS

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