Left, TMC governments tried to damage Bengali Hindu traditions: Suvendu Adhikari
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday alleged that successive Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments had tried to damage the cultural traditions of Bengali Hindus, and said the current BJP dispensation was working to restore the “heritage and traditions” linked to them.
Speaking after inaugurating a Ganesh Puja at Kestopur, he said these efforts had continued for nearly five decades, referring to the 34-year Left Front rule and the 15 years of the TMC government in the state.
Adhikari also spoke about incarcerated Bangladeshi Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu after photographs of him mourning beside his mother’s mortal remains appeared in the media. “The tears of Chinmoy Prabhu had moved ‘sanatanis’ across the world,” the CM said.
His remarks came a day after the Trinamool Congress had criticised the BJP for allegedly remaining silent on the monk’s plight.
Adhikari also referred to the suffering of people from the erstwhile East Pakistan during the Partition. He alleged that during the Left rule, traditional Hindu practices, religious texts and festivals were “deliberately pushed onto the back foot.”
He claimed that books by Communist leaders Karl Marx and Lenin could be found at Puja pandals in that period, while works associated with Swami Vivekananda, Swami Pranavananda and the Ramakrishna Mission were absent.
“Those who had ruled West Bengal for 34 years did not want us to write about or follow our religious traditions, scriptures, and rituals,” Adhikari said.
He further claimed that during the 15-year TMC government, attempts were made to “create divisions” among people in the name of religion, language and festivals.
Without naming former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari referred to an earlier instance when, he claimed, restrictions were imposed on immersion of Durga idols because of Muharram. “Whatever is written in the almanac will be followed during the Durga Puja festival,” he said. “We are seeking to bring back the traditional calendar and practices associated with Durga Puja,” Adhikari said.
Adhikari urged people to remain united in preserving their identity, religion, heritage and traditions, while reiterating his charge that earlier governments had weakened Bengali Hindu cultural practices and that the BJP government was trying to restore them.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 12, 2026 14:03 IST
