How different will Durga Puja be under the BJP in West Bengal?

Food inspectors were out in strength in Kolkata these past few days to detect and discard stale and ‘unhygienic’ meat and fish stored in restaurants and roadside stalls. The unusual drive, the first in the living memory of most residents, has triggered an unusual doubt in the minds of many.

Admittedly, there have been no protests yet. Most restaurants and roadside eateries were too stunned to react, and some were forced to ‘throw away' supposedly stale meat and fish stored in freezers. Coming in the wake of a threat by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to keep non-vegetarian food away from ‘sarbojoneen’ (meant for all) Durga Puja events beginning in the middle of October, many have found the ostensible food-safety drive to be motivated and dubious.

Social media is flooded with messages like, 'Have you seen the food department raiding Gupta Brothers or Haldiram outlets or Bikanerwala Bhujiawala? Or any phuchka or golgappa stall getting raided? Only non-veg restaurants and Bengali food joints are being targeted to create panic among the public. When will we see some raids at KFC outlets? Do they all maintain proper hygienic standards?'

Such scepticism is laced with pointers that there has been no reported case of large-scale food poisoning in the city in recent years. Nor was any warning ever issued by the department. Why are sweet shops not being raided, and how is it that the department has failed to find stale or even artificial paneer?

One of the more insidious demands made by the VHP is to keep Muslims out of the ‘Hindu’ festival. While there has been a fierce pushback from civil society and a section of Ramakrishna Mission monks, it remains doubtful if the festival will see the same level of Muslim participation as earlier. In minority-dominated areas of the city like Khidirpur (Kidderpore), the traditional Janmashtami festival organised with the participation of Muslims has already been taken over by BJP MLA Rakesh Singh.

The VHP insisted that Durga Puja be organised and executed by “sanatani Hindus” alone. People of other religions should be confined to visiting the pandals and play no part in the organisation. Durga Puja in Bengal traditionally includes all residents of a locality, irrespective of religion. The sarbojaneen Durga Puja sees artists and craftsmen from all religious communities come together to create a unique bridge between religion, society and culture.

Some of the older and bigger pujas have already announced their inability to organise the public celebration this year. While they have not made the reason public, it is hardly a state secret. This, even though the VHP has indeed backtracked in the face of public opposition and has declared that it would not oppose the liberty of organisers to centre festivities around themes.

Ironically, a Durga Puja organised by the Hindu Mahasabha in Kolkata will showcase the life and political journey of chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, with the pandal set to depict key phases of his public career. The theme, titled 'Nandigram to Nabanna: Bubai-r Joyjatra', will trace Adhikari’s political journey and eventual rise to the chair of chief minister.

On Monday, 7 September, Adhikari is due to meet government officials and representatives of different Durga Puja committees, and suspense is building up. While Adhikari has declared that he would like this year’s celebrations to outshine those of the past, there is growing anxiety about the kind of injunctions the government is likely to issue. Will committees continue to receive the government grant first awarded in 2018? The amount was a modest Rs 10,000 per committee the first year, but the figure went up to Rs 1.10 lakh in 2024.

As many as 45,336 Puja committees in the state received Rs 498 crore in grants in 2024 from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress government, which also arranged for security, water supply and fire safety and offered an 80 per cent rebate on electricity tariffs.

Not to be outdone, the BJP government, which took over four months ago, first declared a grant of Rs 5 lakh to each of the organisers behind the annual chariot festival, the Jagannath Rathyatra, this year. It also announced that Durga Puja committees would receive grants at the discretion of the government and only if they really needed the assistance.

The TMC government had justified the expenditure by claiming that Durga Puja provided an enormous economic opportunity and direct or indirect employment to millions of people. The government had claimed the festival generated activities worth Rs 80,000 crore and contributed five per cent to the state’s GDSP.

A section of civil society is hopeful that this year’s celebrations will not be as disruptive as is generally expected. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar need public goodwill to win the local body elections, which are slated for later this year. There has been enough disruption already, with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation having been placed under an IAS officer. With elected corporators missing, people have been complaining of garbage piling up, potholes growing on roads, and waterlogging in the lanes.

The BJP will not court more disruption, at least not this year, seems to be the general hope.