India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
A war of words erupted in West Bengal ahead of Durga Puja after Bageshwar Dham priest Dhirendra Shastri faced severe backlash from Congress and sharp criticism from political rivals for discouraging people from eating fish and meat on the occasion.
Speaking at Liluah on Sunday, Shastri had urged people to not cook and eat fish and meat during Durga Puja. He even called those who ate non-vegetarian food ‘pakhandi’.
Bageshwar Dham priest Dhirendra Shastri faced criticism and police complaints in West Bengal for urging people to avoid fish and meat during Durga Puja, sparking a debate on local traditions and cultural sentiments.
The comments came in for severe criticism, with Congress taking the matter to police, accusing Shastri of insulting the sentiment of Bengalis.
Congress takes strong exception
South Kolkata District Congress president Pradeep Prasad filed a police complaint at Bhabanipur Police Station demanding registration of an FIR and action against Shastri for discouraging people from cooking and eating fish and meat during Durga Puja.
Central Kolkata District Congress president Manas Sarkar also wrote a police complaint to Kolkata Police.
Congress said that no one had a right to restrict people from doing whatever they desire to during Durga Puja and that Bengal had traditions and ways of cooking that were unique to the state. It accused Shastri of trying to impose his mindset on others.
Prasad, reacting to Shastri’s comments, said that it was an unacceptable remark coming from an outsider to comment on the cultural and social traditions of the people of Bengal and questioned his intent. He said terms such as ‘ganda ganda cooking’ and ‘pakhandi’, used by Shastri, could hurt the sentiments of people.
The Congress leader also said that attempts were being made to create rifts among people based on language, identity, region, etc, which was an attempt to disturb law and order in the state.
BJP dissociates itself from remarks
Meanwhile, the comments also created an adverse reaction within the BJP. With West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya distancing the party from the remarks, party leader and Panchayat Minister Dilip Ghosh said that animal sacrifice was an ancient tradition of Bengal and it was not a crime to offer the meat to Goddess Kali.
Ghosh said that animal sacrifice used to be performed across Bengal, with the ritual being followed for the appeasement of Kali and other gods and goddesses. He added that in many regions, sacrifices took place on Navami along with Durga Puja. The minister also said that the prasad that came from these rituals, including the meat, was distributed among people and added that fish was also offered to the Goddess in Bengal.
Dining controversy adds fuel to fire
With the controversy around Shastri’s remarks gathering momentum, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and his Council hosted the priest for dinner in a state guest house in Kolkata on Sunday. The Trinamool Congress immediately reacted to the development, questioning the “grand welcome” given to Shastri by the BJP government and the remarks he made on Bengalis.
TMC state president Subhankar Sarkar accused the BJP of insulting the sentiment of Bengal’s people and its cultural traditions. Sarkar accused the saffron party of disrespecting the food rituals followed by Bengalis.
As West Bengal gears up for the Durga Puja, the rift between the ruling party and the opposition over the food and culture of the state has turned into a larger conflict, with the TMC accusing the BJP government of being an agent of foreign interference and of disrespecting Bengali tradition. Meanwhile, the Congress has condemned the remarks of Shastri and accused him of wanting to impose his mindset on others, questioning his intentions.
