A statue of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee has been installed at Mangalpur More in Balurghat, South Dinajpur, replacing the Mother Teresa statue that was removed from the crossing around a week ago.
Union minister of state and Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar unveiled the new statue on Monday afternoon at a ceremony attended by Balurghat MLA Bidyut Kumar Roy, Tapan MLA Budhrai Tudu, South Dinajpur district BJP president Swarup Chowdhury and other party leaders.
Mangalpur More is popularly known as BJP More in Balurghat. The site is close to the BJP’s town office and has been associated with the party for several years. Majumdar said the BJP had long demanded that a statue of Mookerjee be installed there and had submitted a formal request to the municipality before arranging the installation after approval.
The Mother Teresa statue originally stood in front of Matri Sadan, a healthcare facility run by the Balurghat municipality. It was moved to Mangalpur More around two years ago and was removed from the crossing approximately a week before the new statue was unveiled.
Civic body sources told The Telegraph that the Mother Teresa statue had been damaged and was taken away for repairs. The BJP leadership said the statue would be returned to its original location in front of Matri Sadan after restoration. Majumdar also said the statue had stood outside the healthcare facility for years before being kept in storage for a prolonged period.
The change has triggered criticism from the Trinamool Congress and the Left Front, which questioned the decision to install Mookerjee’s statue at the same site. Leaders from both sides said there were alternative locations where the statue could have been installed. Left supporters staged a protest at the crossing after the unveiling.
Majumdar alleged that the Trinamool-controlled municipality had moved the Mother Teresa statue to Mangalpur More ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in an attempt to alter the identity of a location long associated with the BJP. The municipality’s reported approval of the BJP’s request is now at the centre of the dispute over the use and identity of the public crossing.
The immediate civic question concerns the status and location of the Mother Teresa statue while repairs are under way. The BJP has said it will be restored to its earlier position at Matri Sadan, while the Mookerjee statue will remain at Mangalpur More following the installation ceremony.
