KOLKATA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the state government of repeatedly compromising Hindu religious traditions particularly Durga Puja to appease what it calls the TMC’s “Muslim vote bank.” The party claims that a series of decisions taken over the years reflect a consistent pattern of governance driven by electoral calculations rather than constitutional equality and cultural respect.
In a scathing post on X, BJP West Bengal alleged that Mamata Banerjee has “yet again compromised Durga Puja” for political appeasement, asserting that the ruling party has normalised restrictions on Hindu religious practices whenever objections are raised by minority groups. The BJP says this approach has emboldened selective protests and eroded the confidence of Hindu communities across the state.
To appease her Muslim Vote Bank, Mamata has yet again compromised Durga Puja.
👉In 2016, Muslims protested against Hindus worshipping Maa Durga, so the Durga Puja was stopped.
👉In 2017, to allow Muharram precession, Mamata had prevented the Durga Thakur Immersions.
👉Now… pic.twitter.com/uQ9U9O0KYy
— BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) January 2, 2026
The party cited a 2016 incident in Birbhum district, reported by Swarajya, where hundreds of Hindu households in a village were allegedly denied permission to organise Durga Puja for four consecutive years. According to organisers, despite repeated applications to the district magistrate, police superintendent, and other senior officials, permission was withheld following objections from around 25 Muslim families. District-level TMC sources reportedly said the number of pujas had already been “finalised,” leaving no scope for new permissions.
Chandan Sau of the Kanglapahari Durga Mandir Committee stated that the refusal forced women and children to travel three to eight kilometres to neighbouring villages to celebrate Durga Puja. He alleged that district officials avoided intervention to prevent antagonising Muslim groups, a charge the BJP says exemplifies “administrative bias under political pressure.”
The BJP also recalled a report by India Today, during the 2017 Durga immersion controversy, when the Mamata Banerjee government restricted idol immersions on Vijaya Dashami due to Muharram processions. The decision was challenged in court and struck down by the Calcutta High Court, which termed the move “arbitrary” and criticised the state for appearing to appease one community at the cost of another. In a strongly worded order, the court had said the government must not take decisions that pit communities against each other and noted that such restrictions had not existed in earlier years.
The latest flashpoint, according to the BJP, is the 2025 Durga Angan controversy. As reported by Organiser Weekly, the TMC government announced a grand Durga Angan project in New Town as a “civilisational homage” to Maa Durga, selecting prime government land along Biswa Bangla Sarani. Tenders were floated, contracts awarded, and earth-filling work commenced at rapid pace. Documents reportedly show that work worth around Rs 4 crore had already been executed, with total preparatory expenditure estimated at nearly Rs 10 crore.
However, after objections were raised by members of the local minority community who claimed the land was of “Muslim origin” and questioned the use of public funds for a Hindu religious structure the government allegedly halted work abruptly. The site was scrapped without any public explanation, accountability, or recovery of funds already spent. In a last-minute move, the foundation stone was shifted to another plot originally earmarked for industrial use.
BJP leader Amit Malviya described the episode as “panic-driven appeasement masquerading as governance,” alleging that crores of taxpayer money were wasted to protect the TMC’s vote bank. The BJP further claimed that the repeated backtracking on Durga-related projects sends a message that Hindu faith and traditions are negotiable under political pressure.
After making a spectacle of the Messi event, Mamata Banerjee has now turned her gaze to defiling the sanctity of Maa Durga.
Her so-called Durga Angan project is steeped in appeasement and fakery, the very hallmarks of her politics. It mocks the faith and beliefs of Bengali… https://t.co/LN8nRes4Vo
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 29, 2025
The TMC has consistently rejected allegations of appeasement, arguing that its decisions are guided by law-and-order concerns, administrative constraints, and inclusive governance. Party leaders have accused the BJP of communalising cultural issues for political gain.
