The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fiercely criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plan to build ‘Durga Angan,’ a temple-like complex dedicated to Ma Durga, labeling it a constitutional violation for using public funds to promote religion. The announcement, made during the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21, follows the inauguration of Jagannath Dham in Digha in April.

BJP’s Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, accused Banerjee of misusing state resources, stating, “No religious institution—temple, mosque, church, or gurudwara—can be built using taxpayers’ money. The Constitution does not permit it.” He further claimed Banerjee lacks understanding of both the Constitution and her religion, urging her to “educate herself.” Adhikari, who previously called the Jagannath Dham a “theme park” and cited a lightning strike on its dome as a “bad omen,” alleged the Durga Angan project is a political tactic to counter BJP’s growing influence among Bengal’s Hindu voters.

TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta defended Banerjee, highlighting her lifelong spiritual engagement, including performing Kali Puja at home before entering politics. “She brought Jagannath Dham to Bengal and now plans a temple for Ma Durga. Does BJP decide who is Hindu?” Dutta retorted, citing Banerjee’s support for 34,000 Durga Puja committees with Rs 100,000 grants each, her role in securing UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage status for Durga Puja, and the annual Durga Puja Carnival. He accused BJP of hypocrisy for questioning her faith while mocking Jagannath Dham.

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The BJP views Banerjee’s pivot to Hindu symbolism as “soft Hindutva” to counter its ‘Jai Ma Kali’ and ‘Jai Ma Durga’ slogans, used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Durgapur rally on July 18. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee mocked this shift, predicting BJP might adopt ‘Joy Bangla’ by 2026. Political observers see Banerjee’s Durga Angan and Jagannath projects as strategic moves to reclaim Bengali cultural and religious identity, countering BJP’s accusations of minority appeasement.

As the 2026 Assembly elections approach, the TMC-BJP clash over religious symbolism and Bengali identity intensifies. Banerjee’s concurrent push for a ‘Bhasha Andolan’ (language movement) from July 27, protesting alleged harassment of Bengali speakers in BJP-ruled states, further escalates tensions, with Adhikari vowing to remove “Rohingya infiltrators” from voter lists. The battle over faith, culture, and electoral rolls sets the stage for a heated ideological showdown.

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