A police grievance has been lodged in Kolkata in opposition to Dhirendra Shastri for allegedly “hurting the emotions” of the folks of Bengal and “hurting the emotions” of Durga Puja along with his “unruly feedback”, even because the BJP tries to minimize the raging controversy.
The grievance was lodged with the Bhowanipore Police Station on Tuesday by the south Kolkata district Congress president Pradip Prasad.
“…in presence of necessary dignitaries/officers/elected representatives in a operate which can be patronised by like-minded folks in Liluah (Howrah) had made unruly feedback that are harmful in nature, deeply hurting the emotions of the Bengali folks in our state,” learn the grievance lodged by Prasad.
“Those that communicate the language and belong to our state are all Bengalees or Bangalis as there isn’t any such division. He has uttered vile sentences and preached what to eat and what to not eat throughout Durga Puja,” it added.
Attending an occasion at Liluah on Sunday Shastri, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, had referred to meat and fish consuming Bengalis as “pakhandis” (Hypocrite).
“In Bengal, throughout Navratri non-vegetarian meals is consumed behind Durga Puja pandals. Soiled meals is cooked. This Navratri the Hindus from Kolkata ought to get up and boycott such folks. Those that devour non-vegetarian meals throughout Durga Puja are impious,” Shastri, head of the Bageshwar Dham, had mentioned.
Shastri was in Bengal over the weekend and had participated in a dinner attended by Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and ministers within the state authorities.
“Fast administrative motion must be initiated and FIR must be registered with crucial arrests as we the Bengalis are insulted and sparking disharmony within the society together with division which is in opposition to the democratic and peaceable spirit,” Prasad wrote in his grievance.
Shastri’s remarks have had leaders of Bengal’s ruling BJP scurrying to regulate the harm.
State panchayat minister Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday asserted that consuming non-vegetarian meals throughout Durga Puja was not controversial.
“Saints communicate from their very own perspective and say that vegetarian meals is nice for well being,” Ghosh instructed reporters, as reported by PTI.
“Bengal has a convention of goat sacrifice throughout Durga Puja and that’s consumed as prasad. Consuming goat meat right here will not be a matter of controversy. I do not eat something besides fish, however whoever needs to eat no matter they need must be allowed to take action,” the minister mentioned.
Referring to Bengal’s spiritual traditions, he mentioned:. “Swami Vivekananda had mentioned that so long as the nation exists, Mom Kali will eat goat meat and Shiva will play the damru.”
Ghosh additionally accused the earlier Trinamool Congress authorities of making an attempt to dictate folks’s meals decisions.
“Trinamool had began saying that this can’t be eaten and that can’t be eaten,” he mentioned, including that folks must be free to make their very own decisions.
Requested why folks in Bengal have been being “taught” the way to have fun Durga Puja, Ghosh mentioned the competition’s conventional values had been diluted over time.
“There’s hardly any Durga Puja left in Bengal; that’s the reason persons are saying this. We additionally need to see it as Durga Puja. Every little thing has been spoiled within the title of themes and different issues. Bengalis have forgotten their very own tradition,” he mentioned.
Ghosh criticised the usage of authorities funds for neighborhood pujas, saying the competition ought to primarily be organised by society.
“If there’s a need to organise puja with authorities cash, then there isn’t any have to organise the puja. Society will organise the puja. These in authorities thought they’d take management of the puja, simply because the CPM had finished earlier,” he mentioned.
He mentioned Durga Puja had developed from celebrations organised by kings and zamindars to neighborhood festivals and questioned the necessity for the federal government to play a task in them.
“There isn’t any scarcity of cash among the many folks of the nation. There’s goodwill, however politicians create issues. Preserve rumours away from politics and in addition maintain authorities cash away from it,” the minister mentioned.
He, nonetheless, mentioned the federal government may lengthen help to puja committees in villages that genuinely lacked sources.
On an issue surrounding an 11-handed Durga idol in a authorities commercial following a row over a state tourism video not that includes any Bengal landmark, Ghosh mentioned officers of the departments involved ought to stay alert.
“I do not know who’s doing this. Maybe they’re doing it as a part of some outdated custom. The division minister and officers ought to stay alert. The behavior of inflicting chaos that existed through the earlier authorities stays with many individuals,” he mentioned.
Shastri’s remarks have fuelled outrage throughout Bengal, with opposition leaders and customary residents alike pointing to Bengal’s multi-cuisine custom which isn’t curtailed throughout its grandest competition, Durga Puja.
“Meat is core to Shakta Hinduism. It’s supplied to Ma Durga and Ma Kali as a part of the traditional rituals. The Prasad eaten by the devotes on Navami/Dasami at Durga Puja is meat. Any interference on this sacred ritual is not going to be tolerated,” economist Sanjeev Sanjeev Sanyal wrote on his X (previously Twitter) deal with on Monday.
The Bengal BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya needed to hurriedly handle the media on Monday as a harm management train.
“He comes from a special world. He has no proper to determine what the folks of Bengal will eat and what not. Bengalis will eat fish and meat. Vivekananda spoke in favour of Bengalis consuming meat and fish,” Bhattacharya mentioned about Shastri.
State city improvement minister Agnimitra Paul mentioned nobody can dictate meals habits to Bengalis.
“The state president (Samik Bhattacharya) has already clarified. Somebody coming from outdoors is not going to perceive the Bengali tradition. In different states folks eat vegetarian meals through the competition days. He feels the identical tradition must be right here, however this isn’t the apply right here. We get monetary savings all year long to spend in eating places. In each state the custom is completely different. He has mentioned what he is aware of about. He’s unaware of the tradition right here. Our state president has mentioned and I’ve at all times mentioned what we to eat, what to put on, when to return dwelling is not going to be determined by anybody else. Don’t attempt to politicise this,” the minister mentioned.
