BJP LEADER’S CALL FOR CM PHOTO AT PUJA PANDALS SPARKS PARTY BACKLASH

September 24, 2026

KOLKATA: A statement by BJP Birbhum district president Uday Shankar Banerjee asking Durga Puja committees receiving government financial assistance to display a photograph of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at their pandals has triggered criticism within the party.

Banerjee made the statement at a meeting with Puja organisers in Sainthia and said action would be taken if the instruction was not followed. The state government has announced a ₹1 lakh grant for eligible Durga Puja committees, but no official condition requiring the chief minister’s photograph has been issued.

Senior BJP leaders, including state Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh and Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar, clarified that there was no government directive requiring Puja committees to display the chief minister’s photograph. Ghosh said the government had not issued any such instruction.

The BJP has also distanced itself from Banerjee’s statement. A party leader said the instruction was inappropriate, noting that the BJP had previously criticised the practice of displaying photographs of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Durga Puja pandals.

The controversy comes ahead of Durga Puja, Bengal’s major annual festival, with preparations underway across the state.