The controversy began when the governor was photographed unveiling the statue at a ceremony held before an exhibition and drawing competition for students at Raj Bhavan. This sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with many mocking the act.

Responding to the backlash, the Raj Bhavan media cell clarified that it was not an act of the governor unveiling his own statue, as had been reported by some media outlets. A statement posted on social media explains: “Many artists submit their artistic creations to HG. Many painters created HG’s portraits and presented them to him. Similarly, a creative sculptor had created a sculpture of HG and presented it to HG. This has unfortunately been described as “the unveiling of one’s own statue”.

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