Days before Durga Puja gets under way in West Bengal, a speech by BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya has triggered a fresh political controversy in Kolkata. Speaking at a khunti puja event in the Bowbazar area of central Kolkata on Sunday, he invoked the 1946 Kolkata communal riots while appealing to residents to stay united so that the festive atmosphere around Durga Puja remains undisturbed.
Why did he bring up the 1946 riots?
Bhattacharya claimed that during the 1946 riots, the Gupta and Jaiswal communities had stood by the Bengali population and helped pull them back from the brink of devastation. He said these families had poured much of their wealth into procuring the iron needed to forge swords at the time, and argued that several of the genteel, well-established Bengali families of north Kolkata exist today because of that support. He further alleged that over the past several years, organising Durga Puja in parts of Bengal bordering Bangladesh had become an increasingly difficult undertaking.
The Murshidabad idol makers' deaths
In the same speech, Bhattacharya referred to the deaths of a father-son duo of idol artisans from Murshidabad, Hargobind Das and Chandan Das. He alleged the two were killed allegedly because of their skill in sculpting idols of Kali, Saraswati and Lakshmi. He also repeated his claim that under the Trinamool Congress government, the administration itself used to decide the timing and manner of Durga idol immersions, which he said undercut the autonomy of puja committees.
Opposition parties hit back
The remarks drew sharp reactions from opposition camps. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP leader of insulting Bengalis, saying the community has its own cultural traditions, a legacy tied to the freedom movement, and a distinct identity of its own. West Bengal Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar warned that such comments could damage Kolkata's shared heritage, and the party dismissed the statement as being politically motivated. CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty called Bhattacharya's claims contrary to historical facts and termed them irresponsible.
What changes at the pandals this year
Bhattacharya also assured the gathering that this year, people would be able to visit puja pandals without facing closed gates or traffic restrictions. He added that the BJP would never support any attempt to remove committees that have been organising Durga Puja for years, if such a move were made purely for political reasons.
