Uddhav opposes 3-language policy in Maharashtra; says state image hit by assembly lobby clash
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India Today
26 minutes ago
- India Today
In Modi's ‘Kali-Durga' stage-cry, a new BJP vocabulary for Bengal?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on July 18, walked onto the stage in West Bengal's Durgapur with the ease of a seasoned performer. Yet, what followed stunned many: no chants of Jai Shri Ram from the crowd or BJP leaders. Instead, from the stage thundered two phrases steeped in Bengal's own religious vocabulary: 'Jai Ma Kali' and 'Jai Ma Durga'.This was no oversight. It was a calculated message, part of the BJP's ongoing attempt to rebrand itself according to Bengal's political and sociocultural ethos. For a party that has invested heavily in Ram-centric Hindutva across the Hindi belt, this pivot was Durgapur rally was a cocktail of cultural cues. The dcor mimicked a Durga Puja pandal rather than a political dais, with motifs more in tune with Bengal's autumnal festivities than, say, northern India's Ram Navami celebrations. The BJP MLA from Durgapur Purba, Lakshman Chandra Ghorui, had even sent out printed invites that conspicuously mentioned only Kali and Durga, leaving out Ram wasn't a one-off deviation. Over the past year, the BJP has been soft-launching a more 'Bengali' version of itself. The shift is a response to the party's consistent failure—despite aggressive campaigns—to crack the Bengali vote in numbers big enough to unseat the Trinamool Congress (TMC). To understand the change, one must first understand the terrain. The culturally Hindu Bengali is politically resistant to Hindi belt-style majoritarianism. The state's long legacy of left-wing politics, bhadralok secularism and intellectual cosmopolitanism makes Ayodhya-style saffron appeals fall flat among wide sections of BJP's early strategy had been simple: replicate its Uttar Pradesh model. It ratcheted up Ram Navami processions, highlighted alleged Muslim appeasement by the Mamata Banerjee government and portrayed itself as the defender of Sanatan Dharma. But this approach ran into a wall—Bengalis do not see Lord Ram as their primary 2021, the Ram card had clearly begun to fail. The BJP's muscular Hindutva, including Jai Shri Ram sloganeering in rallies—Mamata herself being subjected to some—and episodes of confrontation with Muslims—galvanised its base but simultaneously consolidated the minorities behind the TMC. The BJP won 77 of the total 294 seats in assembly polls that year, an impressive surge from the previous election, but still way short of its own Durgapur moment, then, was not impulsive—it was surgical. The decision to foreground Goddess Durga and Goddess Kali at this stage of the BJP's campaign cycle is about localising Hindutva. In doing so, Modi may have sought to break Mamata's narrative of the BJP as a 'Hindi heartland' party imposing Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan on in particular, is politically potent. She is not just a religious figure in Bengal but also a cultural archetype—fierce, maternal, revolutionary. From Rani Rashmoni to Ramakrishna Paramahansa to even Rabindranath Tagore's writings, Kali holds a mystic grip on Bengal's imagination. Durga represents order, civilisation and the annual moment of communal watchers feel the Modi camp appears to be repositioning Durga as the moral centre of Bengali Hindutva, rather than Ram as the ultimate warrior. In doing so, it hopes to de-communalise the pitch just enough to woo softer Hindu voters who are uncomfortable with North-style Ram Janmabhoomi BJP high command clearly believes it is worth the risk. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls gave the BJP 12 out of 42 seats in Bengal, a sharp drop from 18 in 2019. The decline spooked the leadership, especially given the aggressive Muslim mobilisation and Mamata's success in projecting the BJP as a party of 'bohiragato' (outsiders).As the 2026 assembly elections loom large, Modi's shift suggests a full-throated bid to reclaim cultural space on Bengal's terms. That includes talking about Lord Jagannath in Digha, chanting mantras in Bangla and, yes, invoking Ma Durga instead of Lord the BJP's 2021 campaign was high on noise and provocation, the new messaging is more coded and less confrontational. That's not to say the communal dog-whistles are gone—but these are layered beneath a more 'cultured' Hindutva, cloaked in Tagorean gravitas and Bengali the Durgapur rally, Modi praised Bengal's contribution to India's spiritual and nationalist traditions. He invoked Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's Vande Mataram, highlighted Swami Vivekananda and talked about how Kali and Durga represented the soul of Bharat. Unspoken, but politically loud, was Ram not finding a mention. It was almost as if the BJP had decided to bench its biggest star—for duality—between North Indian assertive Hindutva and Bengali cultural Hindutva—is now being played out in real time. On the ground, BJP workers still organise Ram Navami rallies, often clashing with police or rival groups. In the tribal and border districts, party leaders continue to pitch the Muslim migrant threat narrative. But at the top tier, a new messaging is evolving. The saffron flag remains but the winds that make it flutter now carry a distinctly Bengali out at Modi, Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC's national general secretary, mocked that he will make the BJP say 'Joi Bangla' after the assembly polls next year. 'First they insult Bengal and Bengalis. Now they come to Bengal, exclude Ram and chant Kali and Durga. I promise that after 2026, I will make them say 'Joi Bangla',' Abhishek said at his party's flagship Martyrs' Day event in Kolkata on July 21. 'Joi Bangla' has been the TMC's slogan since the 2021 is clear that the BJP's challenge is greater than it may imagine. In Bengal, religion is not a binary. Durga Puja organisers often include Muslim craftsmen. Muharram and Durga idol immersion processions, if falling on the same day, can happen simultaneously and without BJP's narrative that the TMC is anti-Hindu hasn't fully taken root. So now, instead of fighting Mamata on Ram, the BJP wants to 'out-Durga' her. A risky but creative to India Today Magazine- EndsTune InMust Watch
News18
39 minutes ago
- News18
MNS Workers Force Removal of Gujarati Display Board at BJP MLA's Office At Mumbai
Last Updated: A Gujarati display board at Gujarat BJP MLA's office was removed under police supervision after protests led by MNS and other parties, demanding a Marathi board. Marathi language row continues to aggravate in Maharashtra, now, a Gujarati display board at the office of a Gujarat BJP MLA's office was forced to be removed. Workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and from other political parties forced the removal outside the public relations office of Virendrasinh Bahadursinh Jadeja, who represents Rapar assembly constituency in Gujarat. The board was removed under police supervision. MNS gave an ultimatum for the removal of the board last week. A protest march led by MNS Navi Mumbai City Secretary Sachin Kadam, along with leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), reached the NRI Sagari police station demanding the removal of a Gujarati board. The delegation insisted on replacing it with a Marathi one and called for action against those who 'insulted" the Marathi identity. Senior police inspector Sunil Kadam assured the delegation that the contentious board would be removed immediately. Following this assurance, MNS leaders and supporters went to the BJP office, where, under police supervision, the Gujarati plaque was taken down. Case In Supreme Court The Marathi row has reached the Supreme Court with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) being filed against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for allegedly inciting violence against Hindi-speaking people and language-based hatred. A lawyer, Advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay, filed the plea. He is seeking FIR against Raj Thackeray and his party workers, according to news agency ANI. view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 19:24 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Southern Railway sanctions pedestrian underpass near Thokkottu Olapete, says U.T. Khader
Southern Railway will construct a pedestrian underpass near Thokkottu Olapete soon, said U.T. Khader, Speaker and MLA for Mangaluru, here on Monday. Mr. Khader said residents had been demanding an underpass for a long time, as they were finding it hard to cross the railway lines and reach Olapete. 'The Southern Railway recently sanctioned ₹2 crore for the project. Bids to take up the project have been floated. Works are likely to start shortly,' he said. Mr. Khader said officials have assured of completing a railway underpass at Mahakalipadpu in Mangaluru at the earliest and opening it for traffic by this November. The Speaker said he has asked the Ullal City Municipal Council (CMC) to conduct a drone survey to identify the areas through which rajakaluves passed in Ullal town. Mr. Khader stated that following recent heavy rains, many houses in Ullal city were inundated. Residents expressed their ire over the encroachment of rajakaluves. 'I have asked the council to conduct a drone survey of the rajakaluves at the earliest and mark their area. Necessary action should be taken to clear the encroachment later,' he said. Residents affected due to waterlogging should be paid adequate compensation, the Speaker added. Additional PU college Mr. Khader stated that the State government will approve another government pre-university college for girls in Ullal. Tentatively, the new college is expected to be located in Melangady. In the 2025-26 State Budget, ₹17 crore was sanctioned to the Minority Welfare Department for the residential PU college for girls in Ullal. 'This college is likely to come up in Panaje. We also want day scholars to study here. It has been planned to offer science, commerce and arts streams in the residential college,' he said. Mr. Khader said the government PU college in Deralakatte, which started as a co-education college two years ago, has become a girls-only college from the 2025-26 academic year. Nearly 1,000 students were studying in this college. The government PU college in Harekala also has a good number of students. A total of 1,300 students were studying in classes from 1 to 12 in Karnataka Public School in Montepadavu. The Speaker said he has asked the government to permit the opening of an English medium pre-primary section in eight government primary schools in his Assembly constituency.
