Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 25 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday inaugurated several development projects in the state, including the Jain Manas Stambh at Bhawanipur in Kolkata.
The event highlighted the state government's focus on cultural preservation and community welfare.
Addressing the gathering, CM Banerjee described Bhawanipur as a "mini-India," emphasising that people from all castes and religions live together harmoniously in the area. She further stressed that every religion and caste possesses its own unique specialities and cultural significance.
"Every religion and caste has its own specialities. The month of Ramadan is underway. Happy Ramadan to all. Holi is also approaching. Last year, Holi was celebrated on a small scale. This time, it will be celebrated on the 2nd. Bhawanipur is like a mini-India. People of all castes and religions live here. If someone has a problem, I stand with them," Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister also highlighted West Bengal's deep-rooted connection with Jainism, noting that the state's relationship with the faith goes back a long way. She specifically pointed out that Jainism shares a historical bond with the Burdwan district and also maintains a significant relationship with Purulia.
"Bengal's relationship with Jainism goes back a long way. It has a somewhat older relationship with the Burdwan district. It also has a relationship with Purulia. I understand Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, and Assamese. Gujarati shares a lot with Bengali," she added.
The West Bengal Chief Minister further announced that a building will be constructed at Salt Lake, specifying that the facility will allow people of any religion to host their programmes in that area.
"We who live in Bengal are taught in our small schools that everyone is one. Today, a building will be built in Salt Lake with minority communities. People of any religion can hold programs there," she said.
Meanwhile, during the event, while congratulating Kerala for its new name, "Keralam," CM Banerjee reminded the Central government that West Bengal has long-standing proposals to rename the state as "Bangla."
According to a post by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on X, Banerjee said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "Bangla birodhi" (opponents of Bangla) has ignored the state's heritage and language.
The post read, "Mamata Banerjee warmly congratulated the people of Kerala on the Union Cabinet's approval to rename their state 'Keralam'. At the same time, she reminded the Centre that a similar proposal to rename West Bengal as 'Bangla' has been lying buried for years."
Mamata Banerjee said that West Bengal's "legitimate demand" should not be denied just because the state "refused to bow before the BJP".
"Every election season, PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah descend on Bengal, shedding crocodile tears and pretending to love our soil, our culture, our people. Spare us the drama. These Bangla-Birodhis have no respect for our heritage, no regard for our language, no honour for our icons, and zero concern for our dignity. We rejoice when any state asserts its identity, but Bengal will not accept this vindictive discrimination. Bengal's legitimate demand cannot be denied purely because we refuse to bow before the BJP high command," TMC wrote on X.