"Who told you to distribute Imam Bhata?" the MLA from Farakka asked the state head.
In a fresh round of blame game between the ruling party and the opposition in West Bengal, Congress MLA Moinul Haque on Wednesday blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for enabling the process of religious polarisation in the state.
Many opposition leaders today tried to put the blame on Mamata Banerjee's for BJP's meteoric rise in Bengal.
"Who told you to distribute Imam Bhata?" the MLA from Farakka asked Bengal CM.
'Imam bhata' is monthly financial allowance declared by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to be given as honorarium to Imams and Muezzins. The grant had been the subject of several controversies earlier.
Continuing his attack, Haque asked the Chief Minister why she had to visit the "Eid al-Fitr Jamat" at Red Road, hinting that Banerjee attending the Eid Namaz there in June was an appeasement strategy. The Chief Minister had even addressed the crowd present there to express solidarity with the Muslim community.
Reacting to the events at Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday, state Minister for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Firhad Hakim denied Haque's allegations later in the day.
"We do not follow appeasement politics," said the senior TMC leader, "There are many who accuse our party of providing favours to a specific community. I ask them to also look at the skywalk that will be constructed at Kalighat as well as the development work being done in Dakshineswar and Tarakeshwar."
Both Dakshineswar and Tarakeshwar are popular Hindu pilgrimage centres in the state, the shrines being located at the North 24 Parganas and the Hooghly districts, respectively. The famous Kali temple at Kalighat in Kolkata is also known far and wide for being one of the 51 Hindu Shakti Peethas.
Hakim, who is also the mayor of Kolkata, added to his earlier statement by saying, "We believe in all religions. We believe in the unity of Bengal. That is our culture. The ones on the other side do not believe in it."
When asked if a statutory body or a committee can be constituted for supervising temples, like the Waqf Board, the minister said that he will consult the appropriate channels and look into the matter.
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 "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was alleged by Congress MLA Moinul Haque of appeasement politics")
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