Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Credit: PTI photo
Kolkata: The West Bengal BJP on Friday lodged a complaint with the police alleging that posters welcoming Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his visit to the Kalighat temple near the shrine were removed by unidentified miscreants, party leaders said.
The BJP also alleged that the flex and banners were replaced by the ruling TMC with images of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"The banners and flex welcoming our party leader Amit Shah, which were put up on the approaching roads towards Kalighat temple and SP Mukherjee Road, were removed by unidentified people.
"Not only that, our posters were replaced by those of the Trinamool Congress bearing the image of Mamata Banerjee. We have written a complaint to the Kalighat Police Station urging them to investigate the matter," a party official said.
Later, BJP activists were seen holding posters of Shah to welcome him to the famous Kali temple.
Shah, who is on a two-day visit to Kolkata to be part of the Durga Puja festivities, visited the shrine and offered puja.
When contacted, a senior police officer of Kolkata Police said, "We are looking into the matter." TMC senior leader and senior minister Firhad Hakim described the BJP's allegations as baseless, claiming the party had no significant presence in Kalighat and Bhowanipore areas of the city.
Mamata Banerjee's residence is near the Kalighat temple and Bhowanipore is her constituency.
"I do not think anybody has removed the posters. It could be that the agency that they had employed for the purpose is behind it," Hakim said.