Dev Deepawali: Ganga Aarti at Babughat regales citizens of all communities

Kolkata: Citizens from all communities were regaled by a Ganga Aarti in Varanasi style, jointly organised by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and a Trust body at the Baje Kadamtala Ghat (Babughat) by the banks of the Hooghly River on Sunday.

The event was organised to observe Dev Deepawali. Speaking at the occasion, the Mayor Firhad Hakim said that it was the idea of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

He said: “The Chief Minister had visited Varanasi and was greatly impressed by the ‘aarti vandana’ performed there by the banks of the river. She advised us to explore the idea of organising a similar spectacle here. She said that people from Bengal go to Uttar Pradesh to witness it but can’t it be organised here too.”

Hakim said he had given the responsibility of materialising the idea here to the Member Mayor In Council (MMIC), KMC, Tarak Singh. Hakim highlighted that the event was funded by Joy Chandi Thakurani Trust.

He said that the Chief Minister wants Bengal to become a confluence of culture. “People from several states and different communities in the country reside in Bengal. Everyone should feel home in Bengal. The Chief Minister has also paved the way for the construction of a Jagannath Temple in Digha like the one in Puri. Bengal welcomes people of all religions and communities,” he said.

Replying to the barbs from the Opposition parties, especially the BJP, that such an event is being organised with an aim to consolidate Hindu votes before election, Hakim said: “Trinamool Congress does not believe in divide and rule and neither does it run after votes before elections. We work for the people throughout the year and hence people voted us to power thrice.”