Overview
- A visiting preacher, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, urged that non‑vegetarian food not be sold or consumed near Durga idols, prompting public outcry and political reaction.
- West Bengal BJP leaders, led by state president Samik Bhattacharya, publicly rejected any blanket diktat on food and defended long‑standing Bengali practices of eating fish and meat during the festival.
- The state government on Monday introduced Durga Puja guidelines that ban DJs at puja and immersion processions, close liquor outlets on Maha Ashtami, bar early inaugurations, revise grants for puja committees and cancel the Red Road carnival.
- Opposition parties criticised the government for hosting the preacher and the Congress filed a police complaint against Shastri while the VHP said it would not enforce vegetarianism.
- The dispute highlights a wider issue: Durga Puja is a community festival with local ritual variations, including meat offerings in Shakta practice, and the first full Puja season under the BJP could reshape how public celebrations, vendors and organisers operate.