Grand Durga Puja celebration in West Bengal: Suvendu Adhikari government to hold magnificent Mahalaya event, invites PM Modi and Amit Shah
According to a senior bureaucrat, the proposed Mahalaya event is likely to be held in Kolkata with the chief minister and senior members of his council of ministers in attendance.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said the state government will organise a grand event on Mahalaya, observed before the start of Durga Puja. The government is also planning to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the programme. It is important to note that this is the first time that Durga Puja would be celebrated with the BJP in power in the state. Mahalaya is on October 10 this year.
"There will be a big programme on Mahalaya. The prime minister and the Union home minister will be invited. We will let you know who is coming and when they are coming once we receive a confirmation from their side," Adhikari told reporters after inspecting the Balurghat airport in Dakshin Dinajpur district.
According to him, the airport would become operational within a year. According to a senior bureaucrat, the proposed Mahalaya event is likely to be held in Kolkata with the chief minister and senior members of his council of ministers in attendance. The Information and Cultural Affairs department has reportedly started the process of inviting tenders for arrangements for the programme.
The event, he said, is expected to showcase the history of Durga Puja in West Bengal and the state's folk culture, besides featuring performances including dhunuchi dance, Chhau dance.
Incidentally, the BJP's central leadership has, in recent months, sought to emphasise its engagement with Bengali culture. In July last year, PM Modi raised the "Jai Ma Kali, Jai Ma Durga" chant at a public meeting in Durgapur.
He has also spoken about Kolkata's Durga Puja in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, noting that the festival had received UNESCO's recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity through efforts by the Government of India. Last year, PM Modi had also visited a Durga Puja celebration in Chittaranjan Park, a Bengali-dominated neighbourhood of New Delhi.
CPI(M) slams VHP over its diktat on Durga Puja celebrations
The CPI(M) has slammed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, accusing it of trying to assume the authority to decide how Bengalis should celebrate Durga Puja in West Bengal and thereby attempting to destroy its festive spirit.
The left party's tirade against the VHP came days after the right-wing organisation criticised previous Durga Puja themes in the state, in which idols of the goddess were "distorted", and urged puja organisers to adhere to traditional rituals and prohibit non-vegetarian food inside pandals.
The VHP has taken upon itself the authority to decide how Bengalis would celebrate Durga Puja. They are now saying non-vegetarian food will not be allowed in the vicinity of puja pandals," the CPI(M)'s state secretary Mohammed Salim said.
He also alleged that the VHP was trying to destroy the festive spirit of Durga Puja.
Simultaneously, Salim launched a broadside against the BJP, alleging that it has embarked on "religious purification" after forming government in the state with the promise of providing jobs, better education, bringing in industries and curbing corruption.
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