Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal state president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya on Thursday, 16 July accused the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of reducing Durga Puja to a secular festival, stripping it of the religious sanctity he says is central to the occasion. Bhattacharya made the remarks at a Khuti-Pujo programme — a ritualistic ceremony marking the commencement of Durga Puja preparations — held in North Kolkata.

What Bhattacharya Said

'Recently, the occasion was not described as Durga Puja. It was termed a festival. But the occasion is Durga Puja and hence the sanctity involved with it has to be maintained,' Bhattacharya said at the event.

Without naming Banerjee directly, his remarks appeared to target her longstanding position that while religious belief is personal, the festive spirit of Durga Puja belongs to all communities. Critics within the BJP argue that framing has progressively diluted the puja's devotional character.

Puja Over Theme: The Core Argument

Bhattacharya went further, arguing that elaborate pandal themes cannot substitute for the primacy of the goddess. 'If you remove the goddess idol, no one will enter the pandal, however spectacular the theme of that community Puja might be... This is a Puja first, and its sanctity should be maintained,' he said.

The remarks come as community Durga Pujas across West Bengal have increasingly competed on artistic and thematic installations — a trend that has drawn both national recognition and, from some quarters, concern about commercialisation of the religious occasion.

Demographic Concerns and Border Districts

Bhattacharya also raised concerns about what he described as demographic shifts in districts of West Bengal bordering Bangladesh. 'Some districts of West Bengal seem to have become Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the hands of the Durga idol are broken, and the pot is taken away. In this state, too, people are being given the same punishment as in Bangladesh. It is being said that they can light lamps but not blow conch shells. They can burn corpses but not chant Hari-Mantra in the last journey of the deceased,' he alleged.

The BJP leader did not cite specific incidents or districts by name, and the claims could not be independently verified at the time of reporting.

Assurance on This Year's Celebrations

Despite the sharp criticism, Bhattacharya gave an assurance that Durga Puja 2025 would be celebrated across the state peacefully and in full accordance with all rituals and norms. The assurance signals the party's intent to position itself as a protector of Hindu religious traditions ahead of what is expected to be a politically charged festive season in West Bengal.

This is not the first time the BJP has clashed with the TMC government over the framing of Durga Puja — the festival has been a recurring flashpoint between the two parties over questions of religious identity and cultural ownership in the state.