A complaint has been lodged at Bhawanipur police station in Kolkata to register an FIR against Hindu religious leader Dhirendra Shastri, popularly known as Bageshwar Baba.
Dhirendra Krishna Garg (also known as Dhirendra Shastri) had appealed to Hindus to eat vegetarian food during Durga Puja in Liluah in Howrah district on Sunday.
Due to this appeal of Dhirendra Shastri, political temperature is very high in West Bengal.
Opposition parties are alleging that the BJP government of the state is insulting the culture of Bengal.
Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP State Unit President Samik Bhattacharya has rejected the appeal without taking the name of Dhirendra Shastri.
What was said in the complaint given to the police?
South Kolkata District Congress Committee President Pradeep Prasad has filed a complaint against Dhirendra Shastri in Bhawanipur police station.
In his complaint, he has asked the Kolkata Police to file an FIR against Dhirendra Shastri.
He claimed, "He (Dhirendra Shastri) has called Bengalis 'hypocrites' for eating meat during Durga Puja. We condemn Bageshwar Baba's ill-informed statement and he should apologize to the people of West Bengal."
In the complaint given to the police, the Congress leader wrote, "At a program organized at Liluah in the presence of important dignitaries, officials and select representatives and under the patronage of like-minded people, he has made such indecent statements which are dangerous in nature and deeply hurt the sentiments of the Bengali people of our state. Please make immediate reference to this, which is widely available in the media."
"He has uttered extremely objectionable sentences and preached what to eat and what not to eat during Durga Puja (which is a revered festival and puja) in our state. Similarly, he has also given advice in which he has used words like 'dirty-dirty cooking' and 'hypocritical'. During Durga Puja, he says that he finds many things bad, which are against the sentiments of Bengalis and Durga Puja."
“We wish to inform you that administrative action should be immediately initiated and FIR registered with necessary arrests, as we Bengalis have been insulted and are creating unrest and division in the society, which is against the democratic and peaceful spirit.”
What clarification has BJP given?
Bhattacharya said on Monday, "How can Bengalis not eat fish and meat? Swami Vivekananda had also said that mutton would be offered to Mother Kali. If anyone tries to rise above Vivekananda, it is dangerous. This is his personal opinion."
Samik did not name 30-year-old Dhirendra Krishna Shastri. Dhirendra is the chief priest of Bageshwar Dham.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri had come to Liluah in Howrah district of West Bengal to participate in the three-day Hanumant Katha.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari had organized a dinner for him at an auditorium courtesy of the state.
Cabinet ministers and ministers of state attended this dinner. The Chief Minister's Office posted pictures of the event on Twitter on Sunday and identified the religious leader as Bageshwar Maharaj.
Addressing Liluah's program on Sunday, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri had said, "Please don't feel bad, but there is one thing I don't like about West Bengal. During Navratri and Durga Puja, non-veg food is eaten near the puja pandals. All kinds of dirty food is cooked."
He said, "I want every Hindu to wake up in the coming Navratri and throw out such people. They are not holy. They are insulting the religion."
Sharp reaction from Bengali Hindus
After this video went viral, there was a sharp reaction from Bengali Hindus. This development happened a few days after the statement given by Vishwa Hindu Parishad on August 26, in which it was said that non-veg food should be kept away from Durga Puja pandals.
West Bengal BJP is once again embroiled in controversy regarding the food of Bengalis.
Earlier during the assembly elections in May, party leaders had to either campaign with fish or eat fish in public to counter the then ruling Trinamool Congress's propaganda that Bengalis would be forced to become vegetarian if BJP came to power. Bhattacharya said on Monday that his party will never issue any order.
Bhattacharya said, "We have no say in what people will eat and wear in West Bengal. Bengalis will do what they are used to. Those who want to wear dhoti, they will wear dhoti. Those who like to wear lungi, they will wear lungi. How can Bengalis not eat fish? This thing is going on continuously. Why worry about what someone from outside says here?"
He said, "There is nothing wrong in someone appealing to people to become vegetarian. There is a campaign going on about vegetarianism. Many people and even some doctors recommend it. But how can a monk or a political party tell you what you will eat at home? He is respected and popular in the entire country. He has just made an appeal."
Such posts have appeared on Facebook and Twitter in which Dhirendra Krishna Garg has been criticized for trying to give instructions to Bengali Hindus.
Journalist and author Abhijit Majumdar wrote on
Sanjeev Sanyal, who was the Principal Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry from 2017 to February 2022, has also opposed Dhirendra Shastri's appeal.
Sanyal has written on X, “Meat is an important part of Shakta Hinduism. According to ancient traditions, it is offered to Maa Durga and Maa Kali. Meat is also included in the prasad that devotees eat during Durga Puja on Navami and Dashami days. Any kind of interference in this sacred tradition will not be tolerated.
Memory of Birinchi Baba on the appeal of Dhirendra Krishna Garg
On Dhirendra's appeal, Bengalis remembered Satyajit Ray's film Mahapurush and the confident religious leader Birinchi Baba shown in it.
A social media user wrote, "Birinchi Baba is back."
Another asked, "I am remembering Satyajit Ray's Kapurush O Mahapurush. Do you remember Birinchi Baba?" While some people said, "Birinchi Baba of the new times!" And "Birinchi Baba... really exists."
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri had shared the stage with Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari and invited him to set up a center in the state.
The official had said, "During Durga Puja, the government will work to protect the culture of West Bengal and India. Baba Maharaj Ji, please open a center here. There should also be a center of Bageshwar Dham here. This is the land of saints. This is the land of spiritual awakening."
After this, a post gave its own timeline, "Birinchi Baba was written by Rajshekhar Basu in the 1920s, Ray made Mahapurush in 1965 and in 2026, the Bengal government welcomed Bageshwar Baba."
New guidelines for Durga Puja in West Bengal
Shubhendu Adhikari has announced the rules for Durga Puja this year in a meeting with Durga Puja organizers on Monday evening.
The biggest festival of Bengal will be celebrated between 16th October to 21st October. However, this year there will not be a traditional carnival on the Red Road. Instead, road shows will be organized in Kolkata and six other places in Bengal. All idol immersions will have to be completed by 24th October.
Durga Puja organizers with low budget will be eligible for financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh under an alternative scheme. For this, applications will have to be submitted to the local police stations for investigation, after which they will be sent to the office of the Chief Secretary.
"I do not want to misuse the power of the chief minister's post. I had already said that small puja organizers will be given financial assistance. Those who have bigger budgets, I would request them not to take government funds. Those who cannot organize pujas without financial assistance, the government will help them," the official said.
Important points of the Chief Minister
Durga puja organizers will get free electricity
DJ will not be allowed in pandals or during immersion procession.
All idol immersions will have to be completed by October 24.
Bars and liquor shops will remain closed on the day of Mahashtami.
Puja themes and idols should not hurt religious sentiments
The official did not talk about any restrictions regarding food during the festival.
Hindus in West Bengal also eat non-veg during Navratri during Durga Puja, while Hindus in North India observe fast. According to a survey, 99 percent people in West Bengal are non-vegetarian.
BJP has come to power for the first time in West Bengal. BJP has been identified as a political party of Hindi speaking states. In such a situation, opposition parties have been raising questions about BJP's politics in Bengal.
BJP leader and currently West Bengal Finance Minister Sapan Dasgupta told BBC Hindi in 2021, "Bengal's Hindutva is non-vegetarian. This does not match with North India. In Bengal, people also eat non-vegetarian food during Navratri. We made the slogan of Jai Shri Ram a slogan of protest here. Jai Shri Ram is not a communal slogan here. Mamata Banerjee was irritated by this slogan, so we used it as a weapon. The slogan of Jai Shri Ram is different in Uttar Pradesh. It may be associated with Hindu pride there but in Bengal it is a slogan of protest.
