West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and several top Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders have changed their Facebook and Twitter display picture (DP) with photo of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar on Wednesday to protest the desecration of the bust of the noted reformer and key figure of the Bengal Renaissance.
Trinamool Congress’s official profile on Twitter and Facebook was also changed with a picture of Vidyasagar.
Ms. Banerjee is scheduled to take out a protest rally on Wednesday to protest the smashing of the bust of the social reformer in north Kolkata on Tuesday.
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Launching a scathing attack on BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday, Ms. Banerjee had said, “What does Amit Shah think of himself? Is he above everything? Is he God that no one can protest against him?”
Ms. Banerjee said this after supporters of the BJP and the TMC fought pitched battles on the streets of Kolkata during a roadshow by Mr. Shah.
A college named after Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance, was ransacked and a bust of the 19th century social reformer shattered during the clashes. The TMC and BJP blame each other for the vandalism.
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Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mr. Shah accused “the TMC goons” of vandalising the bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar inside a college, saying it was done to gain “sympathy” as Ms. Banerjee-led party has realised its “reverse count” has begun.
The CPI(M) has also called for protest rallies against the incident.
The intellectuals of the city will take out a protest march from College street on Wednesday evening.