Migrants on mind, TMC to build10 sun temples

Kolkata, November 27

The TMC is mulling construction of 10 sun temples in Asansol area of south Bengal to peddle its “soft Hindutva” brand and take the wind out of the BJP’s sails in the state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Senior TMC leader and Mayor of Asansol Municipal Corporation Jitendra Kumar Tiwari is at the forefront of construction of the temples in his area, which is likely to be completed before next year’s ‘Chhath’ puja.

In addition to increasing outreach among the majority community members, the TMC’s efforts also appear to be guided by its endeavour to further endear itself with the migrant Hindi-speaking population from Bihar and Jharkhand in the region, which has five LS segments.

“In Durgapur-Asansol area, there is a huge Hindi-speaking population. Every year, we witness large number of devotees during Chhath Puja. To cater to them, we have decided to build 10 sun temples in the area,” Tiwari, who is also the chairman of Chhath Puja committee, said. The temple designs would be ready by December and the construction will cost around Rs2 crore, he said. — PTI