Kolkata, April 21 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday approached the Calcutta High Court to get permission to hold a rally of Sanatani Hindus in East Midnapore district on April 30. Significantly, on this day the inauguration of the Lord Jagannath Temple at Digha in the same district is scheduled to take place in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

LoP Adhikari had approached the single-Judge Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh in the matter, after the district police denied permission to hold the rally at Contai citing the difficulties in handling two big events at the same time.

Justice Ghosh’s Bench has admitted the petition and the hearing in the matter is expected to be held on April 28.

The East Midnapore district police had denied permission for the rally led by LoP Adhikari, citing the coinciding huge gathering on the occasion of the inauguration of the Lord Jagannath temple at Digha, which has been modeled after the iconic Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri in Odisha.

The police have argued that given the religious event at Digha, it will be impossible for the district police to arrange security for the parallel rally of Sanatani Hindus at Digha.

However, the LoP claimed that denial of permission by the police for any public event conducted by him was nothing new.

He said that no matter if it was a political or non-political event, every time he has been ‘compelled’ to approach the court for permission.

Already controversies have arisen over the proposed Lord Jagannath temple at Digha, with Adhikari challenging the Chief Minister’s claims that the temple has been modeled after the iconic Puri Temple.

Adhikari called the Chief Minister to clarify why the proposed temple at Digha has been named Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre and not Shree Jagannath Temple.

“The Chief Minister should immediately give instructions so that the name is changed from ‘Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre’ to ‘Shree Jagannath Temple’ in all the related state government documents.

“The name change should also be made in the tenders and documents of WBHIDCO, responsible for the construction of the proposed temple at Digha, the cost of which is borne from the state government’s exchequer,” the LoP claimed.

--IANS

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