Kolkata Municipality clarifies Vishwakarma Puja holiday error, issues corrigendum amid political row

Kolkata [West Bengal], February 26 (ANI): The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has clarified that a holiday list notification for Hindi Medium KMCP Schools was issued without obtaining due concurrence from the competent authority.
In response, KMC promptly issued a corrigendum (Memo No. 026/KMC/Edn/2025, dated February 25, 2025), cancelling the original memorandum (Memo No. 025/KMC/Edn/2025, dated February 25, 2025), citing typographical errors and procedural lapses.
A statement from KMC underscored that the matter has been taken seriously, and appropriate action is being initiated against the officer responsible for the lapse. The civic body assured that a revised and accurate holiday list will be issued in accordance with the State Government's official holiday schedule and existing norms.
The development has, however, sparked a political controversy, with BJP leader Amit Malviya targeting the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government over the reported changes in holiday allocations.

Welcome to Mamata Banerjee’s Islamic Caliphate of West Bengal.

Earlier, the Chief Minister unilaterally slashed reservations under the OBC sub-quota and arbitrarily included Muslims, denying OBCs their rightful dues. The Calcutta High Court has rightly struck it down, and the… pic.twitter.com/CBnkQPu2tw

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 26, 2025

In a post on X, Malviya wrote, " Welcome to Mamata Banerjee's Islamic Caliphate of West Bengal. Earlier, the Chief Minister unilaterally slashed reservations under the OBC sub-quota and arbitrarily included Muslims, denying OBCs their rightful dues. The Calcutta High Court has rightly struck it down, and the matter is now being heard in the Supreme Court. The BJP will ensure justice as per constitutional provisions."
"Firhad Hakim, Mamata Banerjee's close aide and a modern-day Suhrawardy, has ordered the scrapping of a holiday in Kolkata Municipal Corporation schools for Vishwakarma Puja an occasion of great significance for Hindus, particularly the dominant OBCs and instead allocated it for Eid-ul-Fitr, extending the holiday from one day to two," Malviya said.
He added, "This exposes Mamata Banerjee's anti-OBC mindset and confirms her nervousness. She knows the Muslim vote bank she once took for granted is slipping, even in the Greater Kolkata Region."
Mamata Banerjee's policies, he argued, were detrimental to Hindu and Muslim communities, as additional holidays could lead to financial losses for daily wage laborers.
"What she doesn't understand is that Muslims don't need endless holidays--they need education and employment. An additional day off means a loss of daily wages for Muslims, most of whom work as casual labourers in Bengal. It also deprives Hindus of their rightful observances," the post added on X.
BJP leader Malviya said, "Mamata Banerjee's Muslim appeasement is destroying West Bengal's social fabric. If she continues in office, in a few years, it will be difficult to recognize whether our Bengal is still the land of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee," (ANI)