11 arms instead of 10! Suvendu Adhikari apologises over Durga image in Bengal govt ad amid Bageshwar Baba row

In another faux pas by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, the Information and Cultural Affairs Department announced a coordination meeting with Durga Puja committees ahead of Durga Puja 2026 through a newspaper advertisement that featured an image of the goddess with an extra arm.

Suvendu Adhikari apologises

Apologising at the event, Adhikari said, “I apologise as the Chief Minister for the disputed advertisement. The people responsible have been warned. I assure everyone that the government will exercise greater caution in such matters in the future.”

The advertisement has given the state government a fresh reason for discomfort as it faces criticism on multiple fronts, including the recent controversy over Bageshwar Baba's appeal for restrictions on non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja.

Opposition targets BJP government

The Trinamool Congress also targeted the BJP, describing the advertisement as an “insult” and accusing the ruling party of being disconnected from Bengali culture.

The party posted on X, “From their leaders to the Chief Minister, this repeated mishandling of Maa Durga and Bengal’s cultural traditions is deeply insulting!

“Durga Puja is not just a festival, it is an emotion and the very heartbeat of Bengal. Maa’s homecoming is sacred to millions of Bengalis. Yet a government that claims to speak for Bengal seems increasingly disconnected from Bengali culture, traditions and the festivals that define Bengal’s identity.”

CPI-M leader Satarup Ghosh, who was among the first to flag the disputed advertisement, criticised the government in a Facebook post.

“What a remarkable government advertisement! Here, Goddess Durga has eleven arms. The gods gave Durga ten arms with weapons to slay the demon.

“And the BJP government has given the goddess an extra arm so that if anyone comes during Puja and tries to impose a diktat on Bengalis to eat vegetarian food, she can slap them hard on the side of the head and drive them out of the pandal and out of Bengal,” he wrote.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also criticised the government, saying, “You don’t even know how many arms Goddess Durga has, yet you have come to lecture Bengalis about what they should and should not eat during Durga Puja.

“Don’t try to impose anything on Bengalis. First learn to understand the essence of being Bengali.”

Bageshwar Baba's food diktat

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a separate row involving Bageshwar Dham chief priest Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, who recently appealed to Hindus in West Bengal to refrain from selling and consuming non-vegetarian food around Durga Puja pandals during Navratri.

Speaking at a gathering in Kolkata, Shastri urged people to boycott those selling or consuming non-vegetarian food near Puja venues and described those who eat such food during Navratri as “pakhandis”.

Shastri also called for non-vegetarian food not to be sold around Durga Puja idols and appealed to the state government to take note of the issue.

He further asked the gathering whether they wanted non-vegetarian food markets to be shut across West Bengal during Durga Puja and urged those supporting the proposal to switch on their mobile phone flashlights.

The remarks triggered a political backlash in Bengal, with critics questioning the attempt to impose restrictions on food choices during one of the state's biggest festivals.

BJP distances itself from remark

The controversy also put the BJP in a difficult position, particularly as several of its leaders, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, were present at Shastri's Kolkata event.

The BJP subsequently distanced itself from parts of Shastri's remarks. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said Shastri was entitled to make an appeal but maintained that food choices were ultimately a matter of individual choice.

Bhattacharya also disagreed with Shastri's use of the term “pakhandi” for people who consume non-vegetarian food during Navratri.