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Bengal BJP chief’s Gupta-Jaiswal remarks trigger political row
Bengal BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya spoke at a Durga Puja event in Kolkata.
He said Gupta and Jaiswal communities helped Bengalis during the 1946 riots.
He said their support included providing money for iron used to make swords.
Some opposition parties said this description insulted Bengalis and misrepresented history.
The Congress said the BJP was trying to divide people before civic elections.
The CPI(M) also called the comments ahistorical.
Bhattacharya said Durga Puja would be more peaceful and less restricted this year.
He also said political groups should not take over long-standing community pujas.
Samik Bhattacharya said Gupta and Jaiswal communities helped Bengalis during the 1946 Kolkata riots.
He claimed their financial support for weapons helped save Bengali communities from extinction.
The Trinamool Congress accused Bhattacharya of insulting Bengalis and their identity.
The Congress and CPI(M) called the remarks divisive, electoral and historically inaccurate.
Bhattacharya also promised fewer restrictions on Durga Puja celebrations under a changed political administration.
- Who
- Samik Bhattacharya, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s West Bengal unit, and leaders of the Trinamool Congress, Congress and CPI(M).
- What
- Bhattacharya’s comments about Gupta and Jaiswal support for Bengalis during the 1946 riots prompted criticism from opposition parties.
- Where
- Shatadal Sangha in Bowbazar, central Kolkata, West Bengal.
- When
- Sunday, at a khunti puja ceremony; the article does not specify the date.
- Why
- Bhattacharya said the communities helped Bengalis during the riots; opponents said his remarks were insulting, divisive and politically motivated.
Opposition parties
BJP position
Role of non-Bengali communities
Opposition parties
The TMC said Bengalis have their own distinct history, identity and freedom-struggle tradition, while the Congress and CPI(M) questioned or rejected Bhattacharya’s framing.
BJP position
Bhattacharya said Gupta and Jaiswal communities stood with Bengalis during the 1946 riots and contributed resources that helped protect them.
Political meaning of the remarks
Opposition parties
The Congress said the BJP was trying to fragment Bengali heritage and attract votes ahead of civic elections; the TMC called the remarks an insult.
BJP position
Bhattacharya presented the comments as a historical acknowledgment of communities that remained united with Bengalis during a difficult period.
Durga Puja restrictions
Opposition parties
The article reports opposition criticism of Bhattacharya’s broader political claims but does not provide a detailed response to his promises about puja arrangements.
BJP position
Bhattacharya alleged that the previous TMC government restricted immersion schedules, access and celebrations, and said this year’s pujas would have fewer restrictions and closed gates.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Samik Bhattacharya, BJP president of West Bengal and a Rajya Sabha MP
- Event
- Khunti puja ceremony marking the start of Durga Puja preparations
- Location
- Shatadal Sangha, Bowbazar, central Kolkata
- Historical reference
- The 1946 communal riots in Kolkata
- Communities cited
- Guptas and Jaiswals
- Main criticism
- Opposition parties accused Bhattacharya of insulting Bengalis and invoking division for electoral purposes
- Festival claim
- Bhattacharya said this year’s Durga Puja would be peaceful and face fewer restrictions
Quotes
Samik Bhattacharya
BJP Bengal unit president and Rajya Sabha MP
“Standing in north Kolkata, one thing must be said: If the Guptas and the Jaiswals had not been here, if they had not exhausted their entire wealth to provide the iron needed to make swords, the gentlefolk and aristocratic Bengalis of north Kolkata that we see today would not have existed.”
telegraphindia.com
“The BJP is deliberately trying to break and fragment Bengali heritage. Rabindranath Tagore himself had taken to the streets to prevent the partition of Bengal. Before the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, they are trying to sow the seeds of division.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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