India News | Digha's Jagannath Temple: Bengal LoP Says Funds from State Exchequer Cannot Be Used for Construction

Kolkata, Dec 11 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said that the government cannot use funds from the state exchequer for constructing any institution for a particular religion.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that a Jagannath temple being constructed at Digha on the lines of the temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri will be inaugurated on Akshay Tritiya in April next year.

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Speaking to reporters outside the West Bengal Assembly here, Adhikari, a senior state BJP leader, claimed that funds from the government exchequer were being used for the construction.

He also claimed that a work order was issued by a state-run organisation for construction of 'Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra' (cultural centre) at the seaside town of Digha in Purba Medinipur district and that the documents do not speak about a temple.

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"As per the Constitution, the government cannot use money from the exchequer for constructing any institution of a particular religion," the BJP MLA said.

Claiming that the Trinamool Congress supremo does not have any connection with Hindu organisations, he said that it was only after the Ram Mandir was constructed in Ayodhya that she came up with the idea to garner support of the Hindu community.

The BJP leader said that the Puri Jagannath Temple cannot be replicated.

"The Puri temple, which is one of the four dhams across India, cannot be replicated as the other three dhams cannot also be," he said.

Adhikari also said that the Kali temple at Kalighat in Kolkata was being renovated by a private company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.

"The chief minister should not claim credit for everything," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)