Suvendu Adhikari Slams Petty Politics Over Chhath Puja Celebrations

Suvendu Adhikari condemns attempts to divide Hindu festivals like Chhath Puja along regional lines, calling it regressive politics. He emphasized national unity, noting extensive security arrangements for devotees in West Bengal.

Suvendu Adhikari Slams Petty Politics Over Chhath Puja Celebrations

In an apparent veiled swipe at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray over his recent remarks regarding Chhath Puja, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday hit out at political figures attempting to divide Hindu festivals along regional and linguistic lines, calling it a product of a "petty, regressive mentality" driven by vote-bank appeasement.

Speaking to ANI after participating in Chhath Puja celebrations and inspecting the ghats by boat at Ramkrishnapur Ghat in Howrah, Adhikari asserted that festivals like Ganesh Utsav, Ram Navami, and Chhath belong to all Indians and cannot be restricted to individual states.

"Certain people, driven by a narrow-minded, regressive mindset, tried to create such divisions. They would claim that the Ganpati festival belongs only to the Marathis, that Chhath belongs only to the people of Bihar, or that Ram Navami belongs only to Uttar Pradesh. They did all this out of a petty, regressive mentality and for the sake of vote-bank appeasement politics," he said.

Emphasising national unity over regional chauvinism, he added, "The people themselves have shattered it. The public has made it clear that while our diverse traditions remain, at the end of the day, we are all Indians."

Rejecting the notion that Chhath is restricted by linguistic boundaries, Adhikari noted that over one crore people are observing the festival with immense devotion across West Bengal. "At least one crore followers of the Sanatan tradition are observing this. It is not just Hindi speakers; all followers of the Sanatan tradition are participating in Chhath—a grand festival of faith and tradition," he said.

Highlighting the extensive ground-level security and civic arrangements put in place along the Hooghly River, Adhikari said a multi-agency mechanism has been activated to ensure devotees face no hurdles during the ritual offerings.

Adhikari's remarks come in the backdrop of a brewing political controversy triggered by MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Friday after he accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to create social and cultural tensions in Mumbai by using Chhath Puja as an issue.