The Temple Run

Temple- and ashram-hopping are, of course, de rigueur for BJP leaders anywhere, but the fervour and commitment are hitting new levels in the Bengal poll campaign.

- Romita Datta

And it’s not just Ram and Hanuman (or Bajrangbali, the preferred appellation for the monkey god among the party’s more hawkish supporters), temples of Kali and Durga are also now must-stops on the itinerary, especially for visiting BJP and Sangh VVIPs.

This trend of propitiating the mother goddess caught on with BJP leaders after Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee raised slogans of ‘Jai Maa Kali’ and ‘Jai Maa Durga’ as a counter to the “north Indian” ‘Jai Shree Ram’. Durga and Kali are household deities in Bengal and far more a feature of the everyday worship and vocabulary of the devout Bengali Hindu. This was also Mamata’s strategy—to present the BJP as an aggressive outsider bent on redrawing the state’s cultural landscape.

The BJP soon cottoned on to Didi’s plan, and has since done a desperate assimilation jig by going all out to celebrate Durga puja. Kolkata had its first BJP-organised community Durga puja in October 2020 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself gracing the occasion (virtually). BJP leaders have left no temple to chance—Dak shineswar, Tarapeeth, Kankalitala—every major/ minor shrine has hosted BJP VIPs (this is not to forget the ashram trips, including Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Kapil Muni’s ashram at Sagar island, the list goes on). Sources say it’s no coincidence that when Modi logged on for his virtual summit with Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev on December 10, a picture of the Dakshineswar Kali temple figured prominently in the background.