Pope to declare Mariam Thresia Chiramel 'saint' on October 13

In a post on X, Banerjee said, "Shocked again! Yet again, our Prime Minister aggressively displays his cultural insensitivity to great figures of Bengal. Today is the janmatithi of Yugavatara (God's incarnation in our age) Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsadeva. While trying to hail the great saint on this occasion, our PM added an unprecedented and improper prefix to the great saint's name, 'Swami'!"

"Countless salutations to the great saint Shri Guru Ravidas Maharaj ji, the unique devotee of humanity, on his birth anniversary. In his thoughts, the spirit of justice and compassion was supreme, which forms the very foundation of our schemes for public welfare. The lamp of social harmony and goodwill that he ignited will forever continue to illuminate the path of the countrymen," the PM wrote in a post on X.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea against the practice of state-sponsored ceremonial honours or offering a 'Chadar' by the Prime Minister at the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti - the 13th-century Sufi saint, in Ajmer.

Shah said that more than one lakh bighas of land had been freed from encroachers, alleging that previous Congress governments failed to act despite sacrifices made during the Assam Movement. "Congress ruled for so many years, but it did not do anything for those who gave their lives for the Assam movement," he said.

Several cultural troupes from different parts of Assam have reached the venue to welcome the Union Home Minister and to showcase the rich Vaishnavite heritage associated with Srimanta Sankardeva. The programme is expected to highlight Assam's spiritual, cultural and artistic traditions rooted in the teachings of the revered saint-scholar.