Thu Feb 20 15:43:15 UTC 2025: **West Bengal BJP Demands Retraction of Mamata Banerjee’s Maha Kumbh Remarks**

KOLKATA, INDIA – February 20, 2025 – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s controversial description of the Maha Kumbh as a “mrityu Kumbh” (Kumbh of deaths) continues to spark outrage. BJP legislators met with Governor C.V. Ananda Bose today, demanding the remarks be expunged from the state assembly records.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, leading the BJP delegation, asserted that Ms. Banerjee’s comments, made during a Tuesday assembly discussion, were an insult to over one billion Hindus. He called on the Governor to instruct the Speaker to remove the statement from the official record. Earlier, BJP MLAs staged protests within the assembly and state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar wrote to the Governor expressing similar concerns.

While Ms. Banerjee later clarified that she respects all religions and that her criticism was directed at the hype surrounding the event, rather than the Kumbh itself, the BJP’s demands remain firm. Criticism also came from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Governor Bose, who described the Maha Kumbh as a “mukti mela” (salvation fair), acknowledged the Chief Minister’s right to express her political opinion but declined to directly criticize her statement, highlighting the democratic nature of the situation. This incident comes amidst recently improved relations between the Raj Bhavan and the West Bengal government, following the Governor’s address to the assembly earlier this month.

Read More