TMC protests outside Tagore's birthplace over putting up hoardings

Members of Trinamool Congress, including its students' wing, on Sunday held a day-long sit-in outside Jorasanko, the birthplace of Rabindanath Tagore, to protest the putting up of flex hoardings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's image on top of the picture of the bard.

TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay sang songs composed by the Nobel laureate on a stage opposite the main gate, while party activists stood with placards that read "won't accept insult of Tagore by outsiders" and "Omit Shah". "Putting up such hoardings in Santiniketan and Bolpur by the BJP has hurt the sentiments of people, and insulted Tagore," TMC leader and minister Sashi Panja said.

BJP leader Pratap Banerjee, in reply, said his party was not involved in placing such haordings and alleged it was the "handiwork of the local Trinamool Congress to defame us ahead of Amit Shah's visit to Birbhum". "And, the moment the issue came to our notice, our activists took the initiative to remove the flex hoardings," he said. Banerjee also said the BJP has great respect for Bengal's cultural icons.