Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee brought issues like SIR and Machh (fish) at the centre of discussion by ignoring many important issues related to common Bengalis. Did the culturally rich Bengal not deserve serious discussion on issues like a declining economy, closure of factories, joblessness, mass migration of people to different states, and law and order?
Anyway, what is in the food? Yes, it is the identity of the people living in different States of Bharat. That’s why in Bengal, fish has become a major issue in the elections.
The debate started when Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in her desperate attempt to create apprehension in voter’s minds said, “The BJP will not allow you to eat Machh.” In retaliation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Even after 15 years in power, the Trinamool Congress has failed to provide you with even something as basic as fish. Even fish has to be sourced from outside the state.”
For Mamata, Machh is only food, but the fact is that fish represents Bengal’s culture. Now the question is: who is the real threat to Bengal’s culture? Of course, it is the growing culture of biryani and Urdu replacing Bangla, which pose a very real threat to Bengal’s existence. In the last decade, biryani has become the most preferred dish in Bengal. This has been corroborated by various sources. The problem is that Biryani represents a kind of mindset, and this mindset trying to finish the culture of Bengal is the biggest threat to Bengal.
No wonder Mamata Banerjee’s favourite party colleague and Kolkata Mayor, Firhad Hakim, while at the inauguration of a Quran memorisation competition in July 2024, said, “Those who were not born into Islam were born with misfortune. It will please Allah Ta’ala if they accept Islam… by inviting them to Islam. Islam should be spread among them. I have a request for this foundation. That is… if we do such a ceremony, especially for the people of Islam, it (Islam) should be spread among non-Muslims. Because we have the mercy of our own Allah. We are born with Islam by birth, and being born with Islam means that our Messenger has paved the way for us to Paradise. If I don’t do any big wrong, being born with Islam means reaching heaven in the future.”
Now it is quite understandable why biryani is overtaking fish in Bengal, as a member of the ruling Government and one of the closest persons of Mamata Banerjee is openly talking about converting non-Muslims to Muslims. ‘Conversion’ of fish into biryani is now being systematically done to finish fish, which is part of Bengal’s identity.
One of the reasons why Bengal is going through severe challenges is the changing demography of the State. There is an unprecedented growth in the Muslim population, while the Hindu population is continuously falling. The Muslim population, which was about 19 per cent in the State in 1951, has reached about 30 per cent in 2026. Owing to this, the ‘conversion of fish into biryani’ is rapidly increasing. This threat has reached such a level that even prominent institutions are also being taken over by this biryani mindset, which is only distorting the rich Bengali culture.
Bharat has produced many of the sharpest minds, who have contributed to making the motherland prosperous and safe. Bengal is one of the States that has produced many revolutionaries and intellectuals over the last two centuries. However, due to the growing impact of the ‘biryani mindset’, the State’s prominent institutions are being headed by those who only promote their religious views and sometimes also try to impose it upon the people of Bengal.
Those who know Bengal – had they ever imagined that the Department of Mass Education Extension and Library Services would be headed by a Muslim religious cleric? Not possible. But today, it is very much real in Bengal under the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC Government. This department was under the control of Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who was also the head of Jamiat-e-Ulama in West Bengal.
The latest demonstration of ‘biryani mindset’ taking over Machh in Bengal was apparent when TMC leader Saayoni Ghosh posted a controversial cartoon related to Shivling, which was only to hurt proud Hindus, but the same Saayoni Ghosh was recently heard publicly singing a song praising Islam in a political rally. Ironically, in December 2025, popular Bengali singer Lagnajita Chakraborty was stopped from performing a Hindu devotional song during a musical programme in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district by Islamists. Is this not enough to show that there is a systematic imposition of ‘Biryani culture’ over Machh?
Having said this, the growing culture of ‘Cut Money’ in Bengal like ‘Jizya’ during Islamist Aurangzeb to continue attacks on Hindu Mandirs and Durga Pandals to demean Hindu faith has not happened in the last few years; it has been happening for decades. But, under Mamata Banerjee’s Government, this “Biryani over Machh” mindset has got systematic support and leaving no stone unturned to wipe out the rich culture of Bengal. This “Biryani mindset” is the biggest threat and needs to be tackled, for which Bengal needs a Government that is capable of restoring the rich culture of the State, where a proud Bengali is free to enjoy Machh and sing his/her traditional songs and also free to propagate his/her faith and express his/her views without any fear from anyone. The real threat to Bengal is growing ‘biryani mindset’. And it is time to acknowledge this fact.
