Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday urged people to remain vigilant against “asuras and anti-national forces”, apparently referring to the Left parties.
Adhikari also called for protecting the Satwik culture which, he asserted, has been “reclaimed” after the BJP came to power in the state in May, defeating the TMC.
The chief minister made the comments while inaugurating Ganesh Pujas in the city.
“I have been receiving a lot of abuse since morning, mainly from Communists, for celebrating the puja and using the word puja. I want to tell Communist Party leaders that I will offer pushpanjali at (state secretariat) Nabanna on Vishwakarma Puja day. Come, join me,” Adhikari said.
The CM has repeatedly been slamming the Left parties for writing “sharadotsab”, and not “Durga Puja” on the bookstalls they set up outside pandals during the festival.
“One has to stay cautious of the asuras, stay away from anti-national forces and tukde tukde gangs,” Adhikari said.
The central theme of the Durga Puja celebration is the defeat of the ‘Asura’, the demon, at the hands of the goddess.
Inaugurating the Bharat Sevashram Ganesh Puja, the chief minister described West Bengal as not just the country’s cultural capital but the “capital of spiritual awakening,” and called for unity among its people.
He came out strongly in defence of Sanatani religious symbols, saying the “tilak”, “dhoti” and “tulsi” for men, and the “shakha”, “pola” and “sindoor” worn by married women, deserved protection and respect, and that every Sanatani had a duty to safeguard their dignity.
Adhikari argued that Ganesh Puja, though traditionally associated with Maharashtra, had spread widely across Bengali households in recent years, much like Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, describing this as a sign of “Sanatani” unity.
He said a “wall” had once divided Bengali speakers from Gujarati, Bihari and Hindi-speaking communities, branding the latter as outsiders, but claimed that wall had now been broken down.
“We are all Sanatanis, we are all Indians, we are all Hindustanis,” he said.
Inaugurating another Ganesh Puja in Behala, Adhikari claimed that organisers earlier had to seek court permission for Ganesh Puja and accused certain quarters of attempting to divide people in the name of language.
“In West Bengal, we have been able to reclaim Satwik culture, and now it is your responsibility to protect it,” Adhikari said.
“Earlier, we had to take court permission for holding the puja. There are those who tried to divide us in the name of language,” he said.
Adhikari has repeatedly alleged that the traditions and culture of Sanatani Hindus in the state were under attack, and claimed that the current BJP dispensation was seeking to restore the “heritage and traditions” of Bengali Hindus.
On the ongoing controversy over veg and non-veg food during the Durga Puja in the state, the chief minister said Sanatanis are aware of what to do at what time.
“Sanatanis know when to observe rituals with veg food and when the goddess would be offered fish. Bengal does not need lessons from those who dismissed Sanatan Dharma as opium,” he said, alluding to Karl Marx’s famous statement: “Religion is the opium of the people”.
He also urged people not to hold Durga Puja inaugurations during “Pitri Paksha”, a fortnight during which people of the Hindu religion remember their ancestors.
Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee was accused of inaugurating Durga Pujas during “Pitri Paksha”, while the goddess is worshipped during the following fortnight, Devi Paksha.
