Kolkata, Jan 3 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday alleged that the Congress was colluding with the Left to malign her government over relabelling a building named after late prime minister Indira Gandhi.
‘We respect Indira Gandhi very much. It was during our days in Youth Congress when a statue of Indira Gandhi was erected near Birla Planetarium in the city. The fact is that the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) and the state Congress unit is working hand in hand,’ said Banerjee.
Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced that the Indira Bhavan in Salt Lake, Kolkata’s satellite town, would be named Nazrul Bhavan in the honour of the Bengali revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.
The Congress has, however, refused to soften its opposition to the move.
‘We demand immediate withdrawal of the decision. We are not against Kazi Nazrul Islam but you cannot insult Indira Gandhi like this. If the decision is not withdrawn then we will strengthen our agitation,’ the party’s state unit president Pradip Bhattacharjee said.
The Trinamool Congress says the Congress was politicising the issue.
‘This kind of cheap politics is not expected from alliance partner. They should not do such kind of things to embarrass the state government,’ Food Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said.
The sprawling mansion was built in 1972 as the then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s temporary residence during a Congress session.
In 1989, the erstwhile Left Front government decided to allot the house to then chief minister Jyoti Basu.
Even after Basu retired in 2000, he continued to stay in the bungalow, for which the CPI-M paid a monthly rent of Rs.8,800.
