Masterstroke Against BJP Or Risky Move Alienating Muslims In 2026? News24 –

Is TMC leader Mamata Banerjee indulging in competitive Hindutva to take the air out of the BJP’s sail before the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026?

Will the secular masses of Bengal, which boast of the legacy of great poets like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazarul Islam, buy the attempt to saffronise the politics of the state?

Will a Hindu consolidation result in a Muslim consolidation and polarisation of votes across communal politics?

Mamata Banerjee Boasts Of Chandi Path

The West Bengal Chief Minister ruffled the feathers by publicly declaring that she belonged to a devout Brahmin family and learned Chandi Path from her father.

She also reminded the people about her personal attempt to build a Jagannath Temple in the coastal town of Digha in the district of Purba Medinipur and a skywalk connecting the metro rail station and the Kali Temple at Dakshineshwar, on the outskirts of Kolkata.

Analysts believe she might have said this to salvage herself from the attacks of the BJP after she called Maha Kumbh “mrityu kumbh” as 30 people died in a stampede in Prayagraj.

However, political pundits are not shocked at what Mamata Banerjee, known for her secular credentials has said now.

Politics Of Competitive Hindutva

They believe the West Bengal Chief Minister indulged in competitive Hindutva earlier too.

Her presence attempts are just a ploy to stop the Saffron party from coming closer to pro-Hindutva elements in the majority community.

TMC Gets Only 32% Of Hindu Votes

After the BJP secured about 57% of the Hindu votes and pushed the ruling party to just 32% of the share in the Lok Sabha Elections held in 2019, Mamata Banerjee changed her strategy.

In an attempt to stop the BJP from getting more Hindu votes, she took certain steps that may be called Hindu appeasement.

After announcing to pay monthly salaries to Hindu priests, she urged the Muslims to not sacrifice cow.

She organised the Durga Carnival where “Durga visarjan” was held under government-sponsored programmes.

The West Bengal government spent Rs 65 crore on building the Rani Rashmoni skywalk connecting the Dakshineswar railway station to the famous Kali temple compound.

Similarly, the government also announced to revamp of the Tarapeeth Kali temple in Birbhum, the Tarakeswar Shiva temple and the Hansweswari temple in Hooghly in 2020.

Did Hindutva Pay TMC?

Her attempt paid off and the TMC garnered 39% of Hindu vote shares, pushing the BJP to 50% in the West Bengal Assembly Elections held in 2021.

However, she continued with moving towards Hindutva politics.

About a year after the last assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee conceptualised and produced a dance scene with a picture of Lord Ganesha, and chanting of the shloka—”Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha” by iconic Amitabh Bachchan at the inauguration of the 28th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) on December 15, 2022 in Kolkata.

Politics Of Building Temples

Mamata Banerjee continued with her journey to Hindutva and allocated Rs 300 crore for a revamp of the Kalighat temple in Kolkata in 2022.

The chief minister allocated Rs 500 crore in the Budget 2022-23 to construct the Jagannath Temple in the coastal town of Digha.

The Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority allotted the land and a detailed plan for developing the area as a hub of religious tourism was chalked out.

The temple is most likely to be completed before the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026.

The TMC government also chalked a plan to develop Ganga Sagar at the Sagar Island and build temples resembling the ones at Kalighat, Tarapeeth, Johura Kali in Malda, Dakshineswar and Tarakeswar.

Spread over an area of 4,000 square feet, the project has been named Bengal’s Temples: A Spiritual Journey.

However, analysts wonder if she would be able to beat the BJP in its own game.