The Trinamool Congress hit back on Wednesday after the BJP slammed chief minister Mamata Banerjee for inaugurating Durga Puja pandals during Pitru-Paksha, that is before Mahayala when the goddess is supposed to begin her journey.
“The BJP is frothing with outrage over Mamata Banerjee’s presence at Durga Puja pandals during Pitru Paksha. Let’s be clear: she inaugurated pandals, she did not perform the rituals,” Bengal’s ruling party posted on its X (formerly Twitter) handle.
It also took a jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his temple inauguration in Ayodhya.
“And as Abhishek Banerjee rightly exposed, Narendra Modi himself inaugurated the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya almost three months before Ram Navami, purely for votes. By BJP’s own warped yardstick, doesn’t that make the prime minister the biggest anti-Hindu in the country,” the Trinamool asked.
Mamata started her inauguration of pandals from Saturday, a day before Mahalaya when Bengali Hindus conduct tarpan and make offerings to their forefathers.
BJP leaders described the move as a deliberate violation of Hindu customs.
Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari posted that the chief minister had “proven herself to be nothing short of an agent of disruption, deliberately sabotaging our age-old Hindu rituals and sentiments just to pander to her narrow vote bank politics”.
He said inaugurating pandals during Pitru Paksha, considered inauspicious for new beginnings, amounted to “calculated malice” and turning a divine celebration into a “personal PR stunt.”
BJP West Bengal also alleged her actions showed “an anti-Bengali mindset” and that she was acting “as if she is above the culture of Bengal.”
Several pro-saffron handles on social social also sought to portray the torrential rain that drowned Kolkata on Tuesday as divine retribution for Mamata’s early inauguration of Durga Pujas, though this is not the first time she has done so.
“Today I am inaugurating the pandals only. From tomorrow I will be unveiling the idols of the goddess also,” Mamata had said at the Sreebhumi Sporting Club Durga Puja pandal on Saturday.
She had also inaugurated Tala Pratyoy and Hatibagan Sarbojanin, apart from the virtual inauguration of several Durga Puja pandals in the districts and in the outskirts of Kolkata.
Tuesday’s deluge forced the chief minister to halt the inauguration spree, which she is set to resume from Wednesday.
The chief minister also shared her personal contributions to the festival: she has written and composed theme songs for some pujas, with two CDs scheduled to launch on Sunday, sung by singer and state minister Indranil Sen. She has also conceptualised the themes of popular pandals, including Tala Prattoy in north Kolkata.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said Banerjee had merely inaugurated pandals and started festivities, underscoring that she respects Hindu rituals, pointing out that Kali Puja continues to be observed at her residence.
Union home minister Amit Shah will reach Kolkata later on Wednesday night and inaugurate three Durga Puja pandals on Thursday.