NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over a viral video showing a religious song being sung at a Durga Puja pandal, with the CM seen clapping and enjoying the performance.
The video, shared by BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya, features Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra singing the lines, “There’s Kaaba in my heart and Medina in my eyes,” inside a Durga Pandal in Kolkata during the ongoing Navratri celebrations.
Reacting to the video, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi questioned whether such acts indicate an attempt to “fight and attack the ‘Shakti’ of Hinduism” and undermine Hindu traditions. Speaking to ANI, Trivedi said, “When the entire nation is celebrating Navratri, malign thoughts and suspicious emotions of some political leaders are surfacing. In March 2014, Rahul Gandhi said he needed to fight the ‘Shakti’ in Hinduism. It seems the attack on that ‘Shakti’ has begun during this Navratri. Recently, the Karnataka government allowed Banu Mushtaq to offer prayers in a Devi temple. Today, WB CM Mamata Banerjee, in a Durga Pandal, clapped and enjoyed a song ‘Dil mein Kaaba, nazar mein Madina’.
There is no issue with it, but why is it being sung in a Durga Pandal, during Navratri, in the presence of the West Bengal CM?. Are landmines being spread to attack the ‘Shakti’ of Hinduism?. Singing a song of another religion during Puja is their version of secularism. This is the limit of appeasement politics, and the nation needs to be aware of this”.
Earlier, Amit Malviya had shared the video on social media and criticised Mamata Banerjee for inaugurating several puja pandals while wearing a hijab during Pitru Paksha, calling it inauspicious. Malviya’s post suggested that the CM’s actions are part of a political strategy to appeal to minority voters, framing it as an example of appeasement politics.
The viral video has triggered widespread debate, with BJP leaders asserting that religious sensibilities should be respected during major festivals like Navratri. The Trinamool Congress, however, has not officially responded to the criticism, and it remains to be seen whether Mamata Banerjee or her party addresses the controversy. The incident highlights the intersection of politics and religion in West Bengal, especially during high-profile festivals, and is likely to become a talking point as the state moves closer to the next electoral cycle.
