Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Bengal BJP Faces Internal Clash Over Durga Puja Food Traditions
The BJP in West Bengal is arguing about food during Durga Puja.
Some religious voices want people to stop eating meat and other non-vegetarian food during the festival.
Bageshwar Baba made this request at a gathering in Howrah.
He also criticized people who eat such food near Durga Puja pandals.
BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya disagreed with him.
Bhattacharya said Bengali families have their own festival traditions, including eating mutton on Navami.
He said neither a monk nor a political party should decide what people eat at home.
Suvendu Adhikari and his government had welcomed Bageshwar Baba during his visit.
The disagreement shows a conflict between promoting broader religious rules and preserving Bengali customs.
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya rejected Bageshwar Baba’s call to ban non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja.
Bhattacharya said Bengalis traditionally eat luchi on Ashtami and mutton on Navami and should decide their own food choices.
Bageshwar Baba, also known as Dhirendra Shastri, criticized non-vegetarian food eaten near Durga Puja pandals and called such devotees hypocrites.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and his cabinet hosted the preacher during his three-day visit and supported protecting Bengal’s culture.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad previously made a similar call but withdrew it after widespread opposition.
- Who
- West Bengal BJP leaders, including Samik Bhattacharya, and religious preacher Bageshwar Baba, also known as Dhirendra Shastri, are at the center of the dispute.
- What
- BJP figures are divided over calls to prohibit non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja.
- When
- The dispute followed Bageshwar Baba’s September 6 remarks and became public when Samik Bhattacharya responded on Monday.
- Where
- The controversy concerns West Bengal, with Bageshwar Baba making his remarks at a gathering in Howrah and the response coming in Kolkata.
- Why
- The disagreement reflects a clash between calls for vegetarian religious observance and Bengali food and cultural traditions.
Bengali Cultural Autonomy
Vegetarian Religious Observance
Who should decide food choices?
Bengali Cultural Autonomy
Samik Bhattacharya said neither a monk nor a political party should dictate what people eat in West Bengal or at home.
Vegetarian Religious Observance
Bageshwar Baba urged Hindus in Kolkata to reject non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja and criticized those who consume it near pandals.
Meaning of Bengali tradition
Bengali Cultural Autonomy
Bhattacharya argued that eating fish and meat is part of Bengali custom and cited traditional festival meals such as mutton on Navami.
Vegetarian Religious Observance
Bageshwar Baba and supporters of the proposed ban presented non-vegetarian food during the festival as inconsistent with religious observance.
Political handling of the dispute
Bengali Cultural Autonomy
The state BJP president publicly rejected the preacher’s attempt to influence food practices and defended Bengali customs.
Vegetarian Religious Observance
Suvendu Adhikari’s government welcomed Bageshwar Baba, supported protecting West Bengal and Indian culture, and encouraged a Bageshwar Dham centre.
- Festival
- Durga Puja
- Bageshwar Baba’s demand
- He called for non-vegetarian food to be banned during Durga Puja.
- Samik Bhattacharya’s position
- He said Bengalis should retain their food habits and decide what they eat themselves.
- Cited Bengali tradition
- Bhattacharya said Bengalis eat luchi on Ashtami and mutton on Navami.
- Government response
- Suvendu Adhikari and his cabinet hosted Bageshwar Baba during his three-day visit.
- Related development
- The Vishwa Hindu Parishad withdrew a similar proposal after a major backlash.