Kolkata’s Trinamool Congress leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has stirred up a buzz with a bold social media post just before West Bengal kicks off its massive four-day Durga Puja celebrations.
Ghosh Dastidar, a doctor by training and a four-time MP from Barasat in North 24 Parganas district, shared a photo of herself with the Durga idol at her home. In the caption, she declared that the goddess—who slays demons—stands by her side and will wipe out anyone trying to hurt her. “Happy Sharadiya to everyone,” she wrote. “The Goddess I worship destroys evil, and she’s with me. She’ll take down those plotting against me. I’ve never done anything wrong on purpose. With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee supporting me, no one can bring me down.”
The post quickly sparked controversy, especially as Durga Puja festivities begin. Political watchers point to a recent shake-up in the Trinamool Congress ranks in Barasat, where several of Ghosh Dastidar’s key allies lost their positions. They believe her words were a subtle nod to that internal TMC reshuffle in her Lok Sabha constituency.
By Sunday afternoon, Ghosh Dastidar jumped in with a clarification to calm the storm. “This was just my Durga Puja wish,” she said. “I wouldn’t dare say anything against the party Mamata Banerjee built. I’d fight to the end for TMC. My real aim was at opposition forces trying to target or defeat me.”
Earlier this year, Ghosh Dastidar stepped up as the Chief Whip for Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha, replacing Kalyan Banerjee, another four-term MP who stepped down. She’s one of just five TMC MPs who’ve won four straight Lok Sabha terms since 2009, joining Sudip Bandopadhyay, Saugata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, and actress-turned-politician Satabdi Roy.
The Durga Puja controversy highlights the tensions within West Bengal politics as the festival brings communities together amid ongoing party shifts.
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