Mamata Banerjee unveils Vidyasagar's bust weeks after Kolkata college vandalism, slams BJP over poll-related violence

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that the image of the state was being tarnished and alleged that a plot was underway to turn it into Gujarat. “I respect the governor but every post has its constitutional limit. Bengal is being defamed. If you want to save Bengal and its culture come together. There is a conspiracy to forget the rich legacy of Bengal. A plan is being hatched to turn Bengal into Gujarat. Bengal is not Gujarat,” she said at an event to mark the unveiling of social-reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s bust at the Hare School ground. Mamata was speaking at an event attended by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, ministers in the West Bengal government, as well as some spiritual leaders. Her jibe at the West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi came after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday, a day after the Centre issued an advisory to the West Bengal government expressing “deep concern” over the deaths of people in post-poll violence. [caption id=“attachment_6794791” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mamata Banerjee unveiled a Vidyasagar bust in Kolkata, almost a month after vandalism at Vidyasagar College. Twitter/@AITCOfficial[/caption] Mamata accused BJP of bringing in the culture of violence in the state and alleged that eight of the 10 people killed post-election came from her party. “Through breaking the statue they are trying to make us forget our culture. A political party should first become civilised. Were those who vandalised the statue not cultural? BJP later blame TMC for the vandalism. 10 people died post-election and eight people are from my party,” she said. Mamata added that she worked for the people and will not stop till she is alive and also blamed BJP for controlling the media to show the state in a negative light. “Kill me if needed. I don’t need anything, I work for the people. A lot of people are killed in Uttar Pradesh and children die but it does not come out anywhere in the media as it is all controlled by them,” she said. Mamata promised to make a museum dedicated to the social reformer Vidyasagar inside the college campus and said the state government has sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the same. As per the event schedule, the unveiled bust was taken from the Hare School Ground to Vidyasagar college where it was re-installed at the same place where a similar statue was broken in May during a political clash. Moreover, the TMC chief herself marched in the procession to Vidyasagar College to participate in the re-installation event of the bust. The bust of Vidyasagar, a 19th-century social reformer, was vandalised in clashes between BJP and TMC workers at Vidyasagar College during BJP president Amit Shah’s roadshow on 14 May.