Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lay of the foundation stone for a 125-foot statue of Syama Prasad at Eco Park in Kolkata during his visit to the city on the occasion of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh founder’s 125th birth anniversary.
The Bharatiya Jan Sangh is considered to be the ideological predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is currently in power at the Centre as well as West Bengal.
The proposed monument will come up within the sprawling 480-acre urban park in New Town, adding to its existing attractions, which include theme gardens, a large lake, the Seven Wonders replica park, the Solar Dome and several sculptures of eminent personalities.
The BJP and the Suvendu Adhikari government in Bengal is planning a series of programmes on Monday to mark the occasion which will be celebrated at a grandiose scale after the party came to power for the first time in Bengal in the recently held assembly elections.
As per party sources, Shah will also meet senior BJP leaders during his brief visit in city.
Ahead of the programme, state Public Works Minister Ajay Poddar, accompanied by senior officials of the Public Works Department and HIDCO engineers, inspected the site Saturday evening to review preparations for the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
Shah is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata at around 3.50 pm on Monday. From the airport, he will proceed directly to the ancestral residence of Syama Prasad Mukherjee at Bhawanipur, where he will pay floral tributes to the late leader. He is expected to reach Eco Park at around 4.50 pm to lay the foundation stone for the statue.
According to the BJP, the Union Home Minister will then travel to the Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan to attend the main birth anniversary function before returning to New Delhi later in the evening.
The party has also lined up several commemorative programmes at its state headquarters on Muralidhar Sen Lane. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya described the occasion as a significant milestone for party workers across the country.
“This is a matter of immense joy for every BJP worker. Whether in West Bengal or as far away as Ladakh, everyone associated with the party and its ideology considers this an important day. For the first time, Syama Prasad’s birth anniversary is being celebrated in his home state under a government inspired by his ideals. The presence of the Union Home Minister will make it a historic occasion,” Bhattacharya said.
The West Bengal government has declared 6 July a public holiday to mark Mukherjee’s birth anniversary. Preparations are underway to decorate his statue on Red Road, while commemorative events are being organised across the state.
Bhattacharya also alleged that Mukherjee had long been neglected in school textbooks and public discourse. He said recent initiatives were aimed at introducing younger generations to Mukherjee’s life, political philosophy and contributions to the development of West Bengal and the nation.
The visit comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent engagements in West Bengal, including his participation in programmes marking West Bengal Day and the International Day of Yoga in Kolkata, underscoring the BJP’s continued political focus on the state.