Archive · 13 Sep 2026
Durga Puja Exposes BJP’s Two Faces on Faith
A godman named Dhirendra Krishna Shastri said Bengali Hindus should not eat non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja.
He called people who did so hypocrites.
The article explains that many Bengalis understand devotion differently.
In Bengal, Durga worship has traditionally included fish, meat and other food practices.
At community celebrations, people visit both religious offerings and non-vegetarian food stalls.
Some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders rejected Shastri’s message, while Suvendu Adhikari ate fish at a temple.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad supported restrictions on non-vegetarian food near festival pandals.
The article says this shows a difference between the party’s national religious messaging and its need to fit Bengal’s culture.
It concludes that Durga Puja brings people together even when they worship and participate in different ways.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri urged Bengali Hindus to avoid non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja and called those who eat it “pakhandis.”
The article says Bengal’s Shakta tradition has historically accommodated fish, meat and animal sacrifice alongside vegetarian devotion.
Bharatiya Janata Party state president Samik Bhattacharya distanced the party from Shastri’s remarks, while Suvendu Adhikari publicly ate fish and basanti pulao at Kalighat temple.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad issued guidelines urging organisers to restrict non-vegetarian food near Durga Puja pandals.
The article argues that the party uses stricter religious messaging nationally but a more culturally accommodating approach in West Bengal.
- Who
- Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bengali Durga Puja participants.
- What
- A dispute over whether non-vegetarian food is compatible with devotion during Durga Puja, alongside differing political responses.
- When
- Ahead of Durga Puja; the article also refers to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the state in May and to a 2026 victory.
- Where
- West Bengal, including Kolkata’s Kalighat temple and community Durga Puja pandals.
- Why
- The controversy reflects competing ideas of religious purity and Bengal’s more accommodating devotional and food traditions, as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral and cultural positioning in the state.
Inclusive Bengali Devotion
Purity-Based Devotion
Food and religious authenticity
Inclusive Bengali Devotion
The article presents Bengal’s Shakta tradition as allowing different devotional practices, including non-vegetarian food, and says dietary choice is not a necessary test of faith.
Purity-Based Devotion
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri treats abstaining from non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja as a marker of proper devotion and criticises those who eat it.
Festival rules
Inclusive Bengali Devotion
Durga Puja is portrayed as a shared celebration that accommodates different rituals, motivations and forms of participation, including food, art and communal gathering.
Purity-Based Devotion
The Vishva Hindu Parishad called for non-vegetarian food to be kept away from pandals to protect the festival’s stated “sanctity.”
Political messaging
Inclusive Bengali Devotion
The article argues that accommodating Bengal’s food and cultural practices helps the Bharatiya Janata Party counter the charge that it is an outsider party.
Purity-Based Devotion
The article says stricter, portable religious messaging remains useful for the party’s national branding, even when state-level leaders publicly adopt a more accommodating stance.
- Controversial remark
- Dhirendra Krishna Shastri urged Bengali Hindus not to eat non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja and called those who did “pakhandis”.
- Bengal’s tradition
- The article says Shakta worship in Bengal has historically accommodated fish, meat and animal sacrifice.
- Party response
- Samik Bhattacharya distanced the Bharatiya Janata Party from Shastri’s remark.
- Public response
- Suvendu Adhikari ate fish and basanti pulao at the Kalighat temple.
- Vishva Hindu Parishad guidance
- The organisation urged Durga Puja organisers to keep the sale and consumption of non-vegetarian food away from pandals.
- Political context
- The article says the Bharatiya Janata Party had previously faced the “outsider” label in Bengal and campaigned by highlighting leaders eating fish and respecting local culture.
- Religious principle
- The article invokes Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s idea of “as many faiths, so many paths.”