Latest news with #DurgaAngan
News18
31-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Will Mamata Increase Grants To Bengal Durga Puja Committees? All Eyes On CM's Meeting Today
A crucial meeting between the CM and festival organisers is scheduled for July 31 at Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium, where key plans for this year's pujo may be finalised. As Durga Puja approaches, puja committees across West Bengal are eagerly waiting to see whether Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will increase the financial grant provided to them. A crucial coordination meeting between the Chief Minister and festival organisers is scheduled for July 31 at Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium, where key plans for this year's celebrations are expected to be finalised. Last year, Mamata Banerjee had made a major announcement, declaring that the honorarium for each Durga Puja committee would be increased to Rs 1 lakh in 2025. 'If we could raise the grant by Rs 15,000 this year, next year we will increase it to Rs 1 lakh. I'm making this announcement in advance," she had said, drawing loud applause from attendees. With assembly elections scheduled for next year, Thursday's meeting has gained added political significance. Observers believe that Mamata Banerjee may make new announcements related to 'Durga Angan," a cultural and infrastructural initiative she had mentioned during her speech at the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally. This came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a visit to Asansol, began his speech with chants of 'Jai Ma Kali" and 'Jai Ma Durga." The BJP, however, has consistently criticised the state government's grant to puja committees, calling it a move to appease Hindu voters ahead of elections. Speaking to News18 Sajal Ghosh BJP councillor and organiser of pujo in North Kolkata, says 'This time, she will increase it and make it Rs 1 lakh because she wants to purchase votes. About Rs 400 crore will be spent at a time when people are not getting jobs." All eyes are now on what Mamata Banerjee will announce on Thursday, as both political and cultural sentiments build ahead of Bengal's biggest festival. view comments 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.
India.com
22-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Booth By Booth, Temple By Temple: How West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Is Taking On BJP Ahead Of Polls
West Bengal Assembly Elections will take place next year, but Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is well aware of how tight the contest will be this time, given that the opponents are not Congress-Left but the BJP, which will contest the polls with all its might. To take on the BJP, which is spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the TMC is taking on each and every political aspect being taken up by the saffron party. During a recent rally, Prime Minister Modi started his speech with 'Jai Ma Durge' and 'Jai Ma Kaali' chants, a shift from 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Siya Ram'. Wooing Booths With Funds The TMC is aware of how the BJP works to mobilise booths and grassroot workers and thus, CM Mamata Banerjee is not targeting booth-level workers and voters as well. On Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee announced 'Amader Para, Amader Samadhan' (our neighbourhood, our solution) program under which she announced Rs 10 lakh funds per booth to provide grievance redressal and services to common people. Banerjee said that this is the first such initiative in the country where people to voice their opinions and mutually decide the issues they need to get it resolved in their booth using Rs 10 lakh. She said that local issues will be identified and resolved at the extreme micro level. She said that the scheme gives power in the hands of people, as it's for the first time that people will decide what's best for them under a Govt-public participatory programme. "In total, the state government will be spending Rs 8000 crore on this programme. It will start on August 2. A Task Force will be headed by the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, who will monitor this," said Banerjee. Counter Polarisation Accused of appeasement politics by the BJP, the TMC is now doing course correction by taking up soft Hindutva, to not upset the Muslims while appealing to the Hindu voters. Recently, Banerjee led the grand inauguration of Rs 250 crore Jagannath Dham and now, she has launched 'Durga Angan' project, a grand year-round temple complex dedicated to Ma Durga. This is being seen as a counter to the BJP invoking 'Durga' and 'Kali' in its campaign. During Martyrs' Day rally on July 21, Banerjee made her intent clear why targeting PM Modi, "Why is it that you suddenly start remembering Ma Kali and Ma Durga only during the elections? Ma Durga is our revered goddess, and Durga Puja has even received international recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Now listen, just as we developed Jagannath Dham, we will create 'Durga Angan' so that people can visit and experience it throughout the year." BJP Alleges Symbolism The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly criticised the move, calling it a violation of constitutional principles and accusing the state government of diverting public funds for religious purposes. Party leaders claimed the decision was a calculated attempt to appeal to Hindu voters who have traditionally supported the BJP. Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, argued that government funds should not be used to construct any place of worship—whether it be a temple, mosque, church, or gurudwara. He accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misusing taxpayer money and disregarding the secular framework outlined in the Constitution.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Temple politics in Bengal: How Mamata Banerjee is trying to counter BJP's 'Jai Ma Kali' push
NEW DELHI: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is often accused of appeasement politics by her opponents, seems to be charting new waters to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the political temperatures rise ahead of the 2026 West Bengal assembly election. In the recent bypoll in Nadia's Kaliganj assembly segment, BJP, which although lost the election, felt that the party had significant takeaway from the results - consolidation of Hindu votes. "We have been able to reap the benefits of assimilating Hindu votes in the region. The effort has paid off since we have received an overwhelming majority of votes from Hindu-dominated areas like Palassey," Suvendu Adhikari, leader of opposition, said. This perhaps explains Mamata's recent visible tilt towards soft Hindutva as she tries to do a course correction. With the grand inauguration of Rs 250 crore Jagannath Dham in April, and now the announcement of 'Durga Angan' project, Mamata is signaling a deliberate recalibration of her ideological narrative, long dominated by BJP. The 'Durga Angan' gambit With the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections looming, the chief minister has moved to the heart of the state's cultural and religious identity with her announcement to create 'Durga Angan', a grand year-round temple complex dedicated to Ma Durga. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Here's The Estimated Cost of a 1-day Walk-in Shower Upgrade Homebuddy Learn More Undo "Just as we developed Jagannath Dham, we will create 'Durga Angan' so that people can visit and experience it throughout the year," the TMC chief said. Interestingly, the announcement comes at a time when BJP is swiftly invoking Bengal centric religious symbols like 'Jai Ma Kali' and 'Jai Ma Durga' in its campaign narrative. On July 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the Goddesses at the beginning of his speech in Durgapur as he said that BJP is the only party that truly respects and protects Bengali 'ashmita' (pride). Later Banerjee, targeting PM directly during Martyrs' Day rally asked: "Why is it that you suddenly start remembering Ma Kali and Ma Durga only during the elections? Ma Durga is our revered goddess, and Durga Puja has even received international recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Now listen, just as we developed Jagannath Dham, we will create 'Durga Angan' so that people can visit and experience it throughout the year. " The CM, however, gave no timeline or details of the project. BJP slams TMC's Hindu symbolism Soon after Mamata's announcement, BJP slammed the decision as unconstitutional, alleging misuse of public funds to promote religion and branding it a political ploy to woo Hindu votes traditionally gravitating toward BJP. Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, asked, "No religious institution - temple, mosque, church or gurudwara - can be built using taxpayers' money." He accused Mamata of misusing public funds and ignoring constitutional benchmarks. He further added, "She hasn't read the Constitution, nor does she understand her own religion. She must educate herself before making such statements." TMC defends its faith credentials TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta, in rebuttal, pointed out Mamata Banerjee's long-standing spiritual affinity and said, "She performed Kali Puja at home even before entering politics. Building temples like Jagannath Dham or Durga Angan stems from genuine faith." He also cited prior state support for thousands of grassroots Durga Pujas and securing a Unesco heritage tag for the festival as evidence of the TMC's longstanding cultural engagement. "She has supported thousands of grassroots Durga Pujas with financial grants and helped secure UNESCO's heritage tag for the festival. She even organises the annual Durga Puja Carnival. Does that not count? BJP mocks Jagannath Dham as a 'theme park' and now questions her faith, people will judge them," he added. Why temple projects matter for TMC In West Bengal, the BJP election campaigns have focused on alleged Muslim appeasement by TMC, drawing support from Hindu voters. This has been especially effective in districts such as Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia, and North 24 Parganas. As Mamata government fights the aftermath of recent riots in Murshidabad, rapes in Kolkata medical college and B-school, the temple projects help TMC's double strategy of blending soft Hindutva symbolism with welfare-centric politics. These moves also come at a time when BJP has brought in Samik Bhattacharya, a staunch party loyalist with deep RSS roots to lead BJP state unit president marking a strategic move by the central leadership to stabilise the state unit amid internal rifts and prepare it for the 2026 Assembly elections. Since the BJP's 2021 assembly poll defeat, the organisation has suffered desertions, infighting, and setbacks in the 2023 Panchayat polls, 2024 Lok Sabha elections and recent bypoll in Kaliganj. In the 2021 assembly elections, TMC secured 48.02% vote share and 215 out of 292 seats, while BJP captured 37.97% but only 77 seats. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, TMC won 29 of 42 seats with approximately 45.76% vote share, up from around 43.3% in 2019; BJP fell to 12 seats with 38.73%, from 40.7% in 2019. While TMC retains advantage, Mamata's recent turn toward Hindu imagery appears bipartisan in purpose: a fence-mending strategy with Hindu voters while reinforcing her base among minority groups and welfare beneficiaries. As Banerjee positions herself at the cross-section of symbolism and state resources, her gamble may well be to preempt BJP's Hindutva allure. For now, the electoral arithmetic still favors TMC, but the game is tightening. In Bengal's increasingly polarised politics, religious symbolism is now a shared battlefield, and Mamata is choosing to play offense.
