In Trinamool vs BJP battle, why Jagannath ‘prasad' has become a new flashpoint
The Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led West Bengal government's initiative to distribute 'prasad' from the newly-built Digha Jagannath temple has sparked a row with the principal Opposition BJP accusing Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee of 'politicising' the Rath Yatra festival to woo the Hindu community in the run-up to the state Assembly elections slated for early 2026.
The BJP, which has consistently attacked Mamata for allegedly indulging in 'minority appeasement', has now accused her government of resorting to 'halal prasad' and 'misuse of state funds and machinery' for its prasad distribution drive.
The TMC government has launched a door-to-door distribution of prasad from the Digha Jagannath dham to over 10.4 million households across the state.
Last Friday, the TMC, in an X post, said: 'At the gracious initiative of Smt. @MamataOfficial, the divine Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath from Digha is now reaching homes across Bengal. From today until 27th June, you can collect your sacred Prasad box from your nearest ration shop.'
Each prasad box contains a Jagannath photo and two traditional sweets, peda and gaja. The cost of the two sweets is Rs 20 being borne by the state government, which has also provided additional funds for its packaging and distribution. The prasad has been prepared by mixing 'khoa' offered to the deities of the Digha Jagannath temple with additional 'khoa' from local sweet shops at the district level across the state, sources said.
The TMC government is using its extensive 'Duare Ration' (ration at doorstep) network to ensure peasad's door-to-door delivery, which starting on June 17 would continue till July 4.
The boxes and photos were supplied to the districts from Kolkata, with the government issuing directives to the district administrations to ensure a seamless distribution of prasad. The block officials and municipalities have been directed to select clean halls, banquets, or storage places for receiving, storing and assembling the prasad boxes for dispatch. The self-help groups (SHGs) along with some other missions have been roped in the packaging process, sources said, adding that the TMC's leaders and public representatives are also involved in ensuring statewide delivery of prasad.
The BJP has gone all out to counter Mamata's move. On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari announced a parallel initiative, announcing that prasad from the Jagannath temple in Puri will be distributed to the public from a temple in Tamluk town for five days from the Rath Yatra festival scheduled on June 27.
Both Tamluk and Digha are situated in the Purba Medinipur district, which is Suvendu's home turf, where he even defeated Mamata in the Nandigram constituency in the 2021 Assembly polls by 1,956 votes.
State BJP president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar also attacked the TMC's initiative, alleging that 'Mamata Banerjee has turned Rath into politics. She is trying to act as Hindu. I understand her concern for her Jagannath dham but what she has done to stop vandalism of temples in Samserganj (in Murshidabad during recent riots there), or what she is doing to ensure it won't be repeated in future.'
On Suvendu's prasad distribution programme, Majumdar said, 'If someone wants to distribute prasad, what is harm in that. We have objection with Digha because they say it is a cultural centre and not temple and is trying to do politics over this. She (Mamata) is distributing halal prasad — is it acceptable?'
Majumdar's 'halal prasad' barb stems from the BJP's allegation that Muslim sweet shops in Murshidabad were assigned the task of preparing sweets for the prasad there.
BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged in an X post: 'Mamata Banerjee is trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal! In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers — majority of them Muslim — have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are being labelled as Prabhu Jagannath Dev's sacred prasad. This is not just administrative carelessness. This is a deliberate provocation….'
Bengal BJP general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay alleged financial irregularities in the government's initiative, saying 'TMC government in the name of Jagannath prasad is distributing one gaja and pera for 42 crore rupees. There is no planning on the employees' DA; teachers' jobs are uncertain. Group C and Group D employees' allowances have stopped. Government is in a financial crisis… More surprising is that HIDCO is doing it.'
The Digha Jagannath temple, a replica of the iconic Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri, has been built by the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO), a state-run urban planning body. The Digha Jagannath temple was inaugurated by Mamata on April 30. She is also set to attend the Rath Yatra in Digha on June 27.
Hitting back at the BJP for targeting the Digha temple and the prasad distribution, the TMC slammed it for being allegedly 'anti-Hindu'. The party also accused Suvendu and Majumdar of allegedly 'insulting Hindu sentiments'.
The prasad row clearly seems to have reflected the growing polarisation of Bengal politics ahead of the Assembly polls. 'While the TMC is trying to counter the BJP's 'appeasement' narrative against it, the BJP is aiming to consolidate Hindu votes. Both the rivals are using prasad distribution as part of their face-off to gain an edge before the 2026 elections,' said an observer.
Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics.
With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences.
Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal.
Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
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