Meat is core to Shakta rituals: Sanyal hits back at Bageshwar Baba's Durga Puja advisory

A fresh controversy has erupted over dietary practices during Durga Puja, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic advisor, Sanjeev Sanyal, firmly rejecting a call to keep non-vegetarian food away from the festival.

The dispute began after Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, also known as Bageshwar Baba, issued an advisory during a religious event in Howrah on Sunday. He appealed for a ban on the sale of non-vegetarian food near Durga idols during the week-long festival and urged Hindus in West Bengal to observe Navaratri. Shastri also labelled those who consume non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja as 'impious'.

Sanyal countered the statement strongly on X, asserting that meat is fundamental to Shakta Hinduism. He wrote that meat is offered to Ma Durga and Ma Kali as part of ancient rituals and that the Prasad consumed by devotees on Navami and Dasami is meat. "Any interference in this sacred ritual will not be tolerated," he added.

The advisory has also drawn criticism from within the state's political leadership. West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya dismissed Shastri's remarks, stating that the Bageshwar Baba has no right to decide what the people of Bengal will eat. Bhattacharya noted that Bengalis will continue to eat fish and meat, citing Swami Vivekananda's support for the practice. "We Bengalis eat puri on Ashtami and mutton on Navami," he said.

This marks the first Durga Puja in West Bengal with the BJP in power. In a separate development, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari announced a ban on liquor shops and bars across the state on Maha Ashtami, the day devotees offer anjali to the goddess.