Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Ananda Bose stirred up a political controversy on Saturday after being seen with a statue of himself at Raj Bhavan. The image quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism, with many accusing him of unveiling his own statue in a publicity stunt. 

The controversy began when the Governor was pictured unveiling the statue at a ceremonial event held ahead of an exhibition and drawing competition for school students at Raj Bhavan. This sparked a wave of social media reactions, with many mocking the act.

Not found

In response to the backlash, the Raj Bhavan Media Cell clarified that it was not an act of the Governor unveiling his own statue, as some media outlets had reported. A statement issued on social media explained, “Many artists submit their artistic creations to HG. Many painters made HG’s portraits and presented to him.  Similarly a creative sculptor had created a sculpture of HG and presented to HG. This has unfortunately been described as 'unveiling his own statue.'”

The clarification came after the photos went viral. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Jayprakash Majumder criticised the act, calling it a publicity stunt. “Our Governor has inaugurated his own statue, which is something unheard of. He did it for publicity. Will he next garland his own statue? This is a sign of a megalomaniac,” Majumder said.