1 hr ago
Bengal BJP Chief Rejects Priest’s Call to Ban Meat
Dhirendra Shastri, a Hindu priest, asked people in West Bengal not to sell or eat meat during Durga Puja.
He also asked them to avoid liquor shops near Durga idols and observe Navaratri.
Many people objected because eating fish and meat is part of Bengali food culture.
West Bengal BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya disagreed with Shastri.
He said Bengalis can decide what they want to eat.
He said Shastri came from a different world and should not decide Bengali customs.
Leaders from the Trinamool Congress and Congress also criticized the priest’s remarks.
The disagreement is about religious practices, food choices, and who should decide festival customs.
Dhirendra Shastri urged West Bengal to close meat and liquor shops near Durga idols during Durga Puja.
He called on Hindus to observe Navaratri and described non-vegetarian consumption during the festival as impious.
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said Shastri had no right to decide what Bengalis eat.
Bhattacharya said Bengalis would continue eating fish and meat, citing Swami Vivekananda’s views.
Trinamool Congress and Congress leaders also condemned Shastri’s comments as an outside attempt to dictate Bengali customs.
- Who
- Hindu priest Dhirendra Shastri, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, and opposition leaders in West Bengal.
- What
- A dispute over Shastri’s call to restrict meat and liquor sales and non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja.
- Where
- Howrah and West Bengal.
- When
- The controversy followed Shastri’s Sunday religious discourse in Howrah.
- Why
- Shastri said restrictions would support religious observance, while critics defended Bengali dietary traditions and personal choice.
Dietary Freedom and Bengali Custom
Festival Restrictions and Religious Observance
Meat during Durga Puja
Dietary Freedom and Bengali Custom
Samik Bhattacharya and opposition leaders said Bengalis should decide their own food choices and defended fish and meat as part of Bengali culture.
Festival Restrictions and Religious Observance
Dhirendra Shastri said people consuming non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja were impious and urged restrictions on meat sales.
Who sets festival rules?
Dietary Freedom and Bengali Custom
Critics said an outside religious figure or political leader should not dictate how Bengal’s Durga Puja committees and residents observe the festival.
Festival Restrictions and Religious Observance
Shastri argued that closing meat and liquor shops near Durga idols would help people follow religious practices during the festival.
Key facts
- Priest’s appeal
- Dhirendra Shastri called for meat and liquor shops near Durga idols to remain closed during Durga Puja.
- Religious observance
- Shastri urged Hindus in Bengal to observe Navaratri and follow prescribed rituals.
- BJP response
- Samik Bhattacharya said Shastri had no right to decide what Bengalis would eat.
- Dietary tradition
- Bhattacharya said Bengalis would continue eating fish and meat.
- Opposition response
- Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy and Congress spokesperson Suman Roy Chowdhury criticized Shastri’s remarks.
- Public reaction
- Social media users described the comments as an attack on Bengali dietary habits and cultural heritage.
Quotes
Suman Roy Chowdhury
Spokesperson for the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.
“What Bengalis will eat during Durgapuja cannot be fixed by any BJP Baba. We will not allow that to happen.”
NDTV
“Bageswar Baba has no right to decide what the people of Bengal will eat and what not.”
NDTV
Sources
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