Hindu Jagaran Manch’s appeal to buy food and festival items from Hindu-owned businesses draws criticism from Left leaders and residents ahead of Durga Puja.
TBS Report
12 October, 2026, 11:40 pm
Last modified: 12 October, 2026, 11:45 pm
A poster campaign urging people to buy biryani and puja items from Hindu-owned shops has sparked controversy in Siliguri, India's West Bengal, ahead of the Durga Puja festivities, drawing criticism from Left leaders and residents who say it promotes communal division.
The posters, put up across the city by Hindu Jagaran Manch, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), carry messages such as "Eat biryani at a Hindu shop" and "Buy puja articles from Hindu shops", reports The Times of India.
The organisation said the campaign was an appeal rather than a directive.
Abhishek Das, a Hindu Jagaran Manch member leading the campaign, said supporting Hindu-owned businesses would also benefit the local economy.
"This is not a diktat but an appeal. If people support businesses run by Hindus, it will also impact the local economy," he said.
Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former minister Asok Bhattacharya demanded police action against those responsible for putting up the posters.
"Putting up such posters is a crime in a secular, democratic nation. The administration should not only remove the posters but also arrest those behind this communal campaign," he said.
A BJP leader said Hindu Jagaran Manch was an independent organisation and denied any involvement by the ruling party in the campaign.
The initiative also drew criticism from residents, who argued that Bengalis have traditionally enjoyed biryani without considering the religious identity of those preparing it.
They also pointed to the role of Muslim artisans in making Durga Puja decorations, including ornaments made from shola, a lightweight pith material, saying the campaign ran counter to Bengal's traditions of free thinking and social harmony.
Left parties also criticised the appeal, arguing that the Constitution guarantees equal rights regardless of religion and that religious identity should not determine a person's livelihood.