West Bengal Governor Unveils Own Statue at Raj Bhavan, Sparks Row

Kolkata,: West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose has triggered a controversy by “unveiling” his own statue at Raj Bhavan to mark his completion of two years at office on Saturday. While most political parties attacked him over his act, BJP has remained silent.

On the other hand, Raj Bhavan stated that the statue was a gift from a sculptor to the governor. According to sources, the sculptor is Partha Saha who is associated with the Indian Museum in Kolkata. He made the half-bust statue of fiber on the basis of a photograph of Mr Bose without meeting him.

On Saturday, the governor unveiled his statue on the Raj Bhavan premises at a ceremony. He called the state's present political situation "very bad" while describing his experience of the last two years as "sweet and sour."

Lashing out at Mr Bose, Trinamul Congress spokesperson Joyprakash Majumdar claimed, “The governor inaugurated his own statue. This is something unheard of. He did it because he wanted some kind of publicity. Now the point is, what is going to be next? Will he garland his own statue? It's a sign of a megalomaniac."

Condemning the governor, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty alleged, "The disgrace is sitting with Raj Bhavan lit up. This is unfortunate for our state." Echoing him, Congress spokesperson Soumya Aich Roy said, "It is a matter of great shame. A small game is being played on the culture of Bengal."

Countering the backlash, the Raj Bhavan said in a statement on Sunday, “Media reported that the governor unveiled his statue at Raj Bhavan on November 23. Reality: Many artists gift their artifacts to the governor. Many painters have gifted paintings of the governor to him. Similarly, a creative sculptor gifted the governor a statue that he had made on him. Unfortunately, this incident has been referred to as ‘unveiling of his own statue’.”