Kolkata, Sept. 7 -- "Bengalis will eat what they have traditionally eaten. No one from outside can decide what someone in Bengal should eat or should not eat," West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said on Monday, sharply rebuffing Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Krishna Garg's appeal to keep non-vegetarian food away from Durga idols during Navratri.

Bhattacharya's unusually pointed intervention came amid mounting criticism of Shastri's remarks from Bengalis across the political and social spectrum, including sections of the Hindu community and social-media users who describe themselves as "Hindu nationalists".

Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, Bhattacharya said the BJP had no position on what people in Bengal should eat or wear. Shastri, he said, was entitled to express his opinion as a spiritual leader, but that did not give anyone the right to dictate the dietary choices of Bengalis.

"Let me live as I wish. Bengalis will eat what they have traditionally been eating. Won't Bengalis eat fish? Won't they eat meat? Swami Vivekananda himself spoke in favour of non-vegetarian food. Who can be above him? Maa Kali here accepts goat meat as an offering," Bhattacharya said. He pointed to the Bengali tradition of eating 'luchi' on Ashtami and mutton on Navami during Durga Puja.

Shastri, who was in Howrah's Liluah for a three-day Hanumant Katha, had on September 6 appealed to Bengali Hindus not to sell non-vegetarian food near Durga idols during Navratri, whether or not they performed Durga Puja or installed an idol. He said those who eat non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja are 'Pakhandis' (hypocrites).

The comments drew backlash from people from all walks of life. Former Tripura Governor and former Bengal BJP president Tathagata Roy also rejected Shastri's prescription. While saying he respected the Bageshwar Dham chief as a spiritual guru, Roy said whether he followed his advice was entirely his own choice. "This diversity is the hallmark of Hinduism," Roy said, adding that he ate fish and meat even during Navratri and remained "100 per cent Hindu"

TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh emphasised that Durga Puja celebrations are deeply rooted in local traditions, stating that decisions regarding rituals and food should be left entirely to individual neighbourhoods and families.

Several Kolkata-based content creators criticised it, writing: "Don't tell a Bengali how to celebrate Durga Puja". Dr Tapas Raychaudhury, director of Heart Surgery at Fortis Hospital Kolkata, joined the debate on Facebook, pointing out that the 'bhog' (offering) sent to his home from Dakshineswar during Durga Puja and Kali Puja every year is non-vegetarian. He also noted that offerings at Kalighat can be non-vegetarian.

The controversy also follows a VHP advisory issued on August 26 asking Durga Puja organisers to keep non-vegetarian food away from pandals to maintain the festival's sanctity. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh criticised the calls, saying Bengal's unique socio-cultural traditions needed no lessons from outside.

Before the Assembly elections, the BJP faced accusations from its opponents that it would seek to impose dietary restrictions in Bengal. The party countered that narrative with an emphatic embrace of Bengali food, with its leaders and candidates publicly eating fish and rice and even campaigning with catla fish.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.