‘Left called religion opium, TMC wanted to make Bengal Greater Bangladesh’: CM Suvendu

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments in West Bengal, alleging that they had sought to suppress what he described as "Sanatani traditions and culture".

He alleged that while the Left described religion as “opium”, the TMC tried to turn West Bengal into “Greater Bangladesh”. After inaugurating a Ganesh Puja pandal at Kestopur in Kolkata, Adhikari said the alleged efforts to undermine the state's cultural identity had continued for nearly five decades, referring to the 34-year Left rule and the 15-year TMC rule in the state.

“For the past 49 years, for 34 years those who called dharma ‘opium’ were in power under the communists, and for the next 15 years they (the TMC) tried to make it into Greater Bangladesh. Now a government has come which wants to bring back the culture and 'parampara' (tradition) that was being forgotten,” Adhikari said.

He alleged that during the Left Front rule, stalls outside puja pandals displayed books by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin but not works by Swami Vivekananda or Lokenath Baba. “You wouldn’t find the Hanuman Chalisa or the Bhagavad Gita.

It was explicitly declared there that they did not believe in religion and considered it opium,” he said. Targeting the previous Trinamool Congress government, Adhikari alleged that attempts were made during its tenure to “Jamati-ise” Bengal.

Without naming former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, he referred to the decision to restrict Durga Puja immersion on a day coinciding with Muharram. “In 15 years of their tenure, not in the first tenure but in the last part, they tried to turn Bengal into Jamati.

One year the day of immersion was changed… She had said during the meeting that there is Muharram, thus Bijoy Dashami there would be no immersion. One cannot do that. One has to follow the panjika. Our parampara was slowly being changed,” he said.

Adhikari also criticised a former state minister who is currently in jail, alleging that the former chief minister had attended the minister’s Durga Puja inauguration during Pitru Paksha, a period considered inauspicious for such ceremonies according to Sanatani traditions.

He said Durga Puja inaugurations should take place during Matri Paksha and called for “absolute purity” to be maintained during Mahashtami. Recalling Partition, Adhikari said his mother had been forced to flee Barisal in erstwhile East Bengal because of her Hindu identity, carrying little more than the clothes she was wearing.

Describing the state as the “homeland” of Bengali Hindus, he said the state was created on June 20, 1947, and urged Sanatanis to "remain united beyond linguistic and ethnic identities." “Previously there weren’t so many Ganesh Pujas.

Some used to think it is in Maharashtra. No, it is for all Sanatanis all over the world. Some used to think Ma Durga is only for Kolkata. No, it is for all Sanatanis,” he said. “The wall that was raised — that you are Hindi-speaking, you are Gujarati, you are Bengali, you are Marwari — we have broken that wall down in 2026.

At the end of the day, we are all Hindustanis (Indians),” he said, adding that protecting Bengal as a Bengali Hindu homeland was the responsibility of all. Adhikari said his government believed in the principle of "'Bahujana Sukhaya Bahujana Hitaya' (for the happiness of the many, for the welfare of the many)".

Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.

Experience Current Role: Reports for the prestigious national daily, The Indian Express, providing her content with a high level of Trustworthiness. Geographical Expertise: Provides focused, in-depth coverage of West Bengal, demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the state's news and political nuances.

Core Authority: Her reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial, often sensitive, beats, including: State Politics and Governance: Covering the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), opposition strategies (BJP), and internal political controversies.

Judicial and Administrative Affairs: Closely monitoring key developments in the Calcutta High Court, particularly major rulings related to employment, education, and social issues. Education Sector: Extensive reporting on significant controversies, such as teacher recruitment irregularities and administrative actions by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE).

Social & Electoral Issues: Covering public events, community tensions (e.g., religious/political gatherings), and election-related processes like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Tanusree Bose's consistent output and focus on high-stakes regional issues for a trusted media outlet underscore her status as a reliable and authoritative source for news from West Bengal.

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