West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said festivals such as Chhath, Ganesh Utsav and Ram Navami belonged to all Indians, hitting out at attempts to divide Hindu festivals along regional and linguistic lines in an apparent swipe at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.
Adhikari described such attempts as a product of a "petty, regressive mentality" driven by vote-bank appeasement. Speaking to ANI after participating in Chhath Puja celebrations at Ramkrishnapur Ghat in Howrah, he said festivals could not be restricted to particular states or linguistic communities.
"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.
Adhikari said more than one crore people were observing Chhath across West Bengal, adding that the festival was not limited to Hindi speakers but was celebrated by followers of the Sanatan tradition.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor also criticised Thackeray over his remarks, accusing him of targeting people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for political gains, PTI reported.
Paswan, a BJP ally, accused the MNS chief of persistently promoting regionalism and said the approach had contributed to the party's rejection by voters in Maharashtra over the years.
"It is inappropriate to suggest that only Marathi traditions should be respected in Maharashtra, while North Indian traditions and songs should not be given due respect," Paswan said.
He also invoked the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, claiming that he had never humiliated North Indians or promoted regionalism in the name of Marathi pride.
Kishor dismissed Raj Thackeray's remarks as an attempt to attract media attention, saying the MNS chief spoke against people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar when he was not in the public spotlight.
"Raj Thackeray doesn't even know where he stands. Sometimes, he praises Modi, other times he complains about him. He keeps shifting sides to remain relevant," Kishor said.
The criticism follows Thackeray's allegation that the BJP-led Maharashtra government was attempting to provoke tensions between Marathi and North Indian communities by using Chhath Puja as a political issue ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The MNS chief had accused the BJP of trying to create a "cultural frenzy" in Mumbai, which has a sizeable North Indian population. His remarks came amid a controversy over Bhojpuri songs being played at some Mumbai railway stations ahead of Chhath Puja. The move drew criticism and raised questions over the use of railway announcement systems for cultural events.
Congress leader Husain Dalwai had also backed Thackeray's opposition, questioning the celebration of Chhath in Maharashtra and saying the festival did not belong to the state.
Adhikari, meanwhile, said the West Bengal government had put in place safety arrangements along the Hooghly river for Chhath devotees, coordinating with the Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and police. He said ministers had been assigned to oversee preparations in each district to ensure that devotees faced no difficulties.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
