'Ram Temple' To Be Built In Bengal, BJP MLA Says "Not Election Project"

The construction of a grand Ayodhya-style 'Bengali Ram'-themed Ram temple in West Bengal's Nadia district has been proposed, nearly a month after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone of other religious-cultural projects in the state. 

This comes days after former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone of a Babri mosque replica in West Bengal's Murshidabad.

According to officials, the proposed temple will not only be a religious structure but also an important centre dedicated to Bengal's cultural heritage - especially the tradition of Krittibas Ojha - the poet who wrote the 'Shri Ram Panchali', a Bengali translation of the Sanskrit Ramayana in the 15th century. It is still read with reverence in every Bengali home. With this concept of "Bengali Ram" at the centre, the process of building a grand Ram temple and heritage centre in Shantipur has been accelerated.

The Shri Krittibas Ram Mandir Trust, a registered religious and charitable organisation, is undertaking the construction of the temple. On Sunday, members of the trust conducted the final survey to measure the land for the temple's construction, marking the formal start of the project.

The trust has been working on the project since 2017, officials said. The temple will be set up in 15 Bighas of land, which has been donated by a local Litan Bhattacharya and Pooja Banerjee. A fund of Rs 100 crore will be used to set up the temple by 2028.

BJP MLA Arindam Bhattacharya, who is the trust's president, told NDTV, "Shantipur is the land of the 'Bhakti' movement. Krittibas Ojha connected Ram with the emotional landscape of Bengal. The 'Rama' he envisioned was very close to Bengali culture. That is why he is also called 'Hara Ram.' We have been working on this project since 2017."

Bhattacharya asserted that the temple construction is "not an election project".

"The temple will be built in two to three years. There is nothing political associated with it. But we will welcome everyone, including the government, to help us with the project. We welcome all to contribute and to give suggestions," he added.  

TMC leader Jayprakash Majumder hit out at Bhattacharya, calling him a "traitor". "Arindam Bhattacharya is not the right person. He was with our party. His new project to set up a Ram temple could be another attempt to loot money. BJP can never accept Krittibas Ojha's 'Bengali Ram'," he said.