Kolkata, June 30 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit West Bengal on July 6, the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and attend a special programme at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata’s New Town area, a senior state Bharatiya Janata Party leader said here on Tuesday.

According to the leader, a meeting was held at the BJP’s Salt Lake office in Kolkata on Monday evening to finalise preparations for the July 6 events.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and other senior leaders attended the meeting.

Central BJP leaders, including Sunil Bansal, Mangal Pandey and Amit Malviya, were also present. The meeting reviewed the programme planned to mark Mookerjee’s birth anniversary.

The BJP-led state government has announced a series of initiatives to commemorate Mookerjee’s birth anniversary on July 6. It has allocated Rs 200 crore for the construction of a 125-foot statue of Mookerjee at his ancestral home in Jirat, Hooghly district, as well as renovating the old house and beautifying the surrounding area.

These announcements were made in the recently tabled state Budget. The government has also proposed setting up a library and a memorial at Mookerjee’s ancestral home and declared July 6 a public holiday.

According to party sources, Shah is expected to attend the programme at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre and may also lay the foundation stone for Mookerjee’s statue. He is also likely to participate in a few other events during the visit, subject to approval from the Union Home Ministry and his availability.

Apart from the July 6 programme, the meeting between the state and central BJP leaders also focused on several organisational matters concerning the party in West Bengal.

On June 23, the nation observed his death anniversary, with the Prime Minister and other leaders paying tributes.

Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was an educationist, barrister, and politician who played a crucial role in shaping India’s political discourse after Independence.

–IANS

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