Siliguri/IBNS, Oct. 13 -- Several posters appealing to people to buy biryani and puja items from Hindu-owned shops have appeared across Siliguri in West Bengal, ahead of the city's Durga Puja festivities, media reports said.

HJM is a right-wing Hindu missionary group affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Reacting to the banners, veteran CPI(M) leader Ashok Bhattacharya described the campaign as a "crime" in a secular and democratic country.

He urged the administration to remove the posters and arrest those responsible for putting them up.

While several residents have opposed the appeal, the BJP has distanced itself from the campaign, emphasising that the...