Cooch Behar, July 13 (Siliguri Chronicle) – A row over the installation of a statue of Cooch Behar’s last Maharaja, Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, was settled on Saturday after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stepped in.
The disagreement broke out on Friday between two senior Trinamool Congress leaders — Udayan Guha, minister of north Bengal development, and Rabindranath Ghosh, chairperson of the Cooch Behar municipality. The clash centred on the proposed location of a 7-foot-2-inch statue outside the north Bengal development department office in Cooch Behar.
The situation took a sharp turn after Minister Guha reportedly stopped civic workers from installing the statue and asked them to leave the site.
His move drew strong reactions from municipality chief Rabindranath Ghosh and several Rajbanshi organisations, who saw it as an insult to the royal legacy of Cooch Behar.
The statue was meant to honour Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, the last ruling monarch of Cooch Behar, and recognise the cultural and historical sentiments of the Rajbanshi community.
Supporters of Rabindranath Ghosh gathered at the proposed site near Sagardighi in central Cooch Behar. They put up a banner featuring the Maharaja’s image and marked the ground with a bold message: “The statue will be installed here.”
On Saturday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stepped in to defuse the tension between her two senior party leaders and bring the dispute to a close.
Guha said: “The chief inister called me today (Saturday) and advised that the statue be installed in front of the NBDD office in a dignified manner. She suggested we build a garden around it and install a fence so that people can pay their respects properly.”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee instructed Minister Udayan Guha to work in coordination with municipality chairman Rabindranath Ghosh to ensure the statue’s installation goes ahead without further issues.
Backing the decision, Ghosh said the statue would now be installed at the spot approved by the chief minister. “The statue, made by a sculptor from Nadia, cost ₹2 lakh,” Ghosh said.
