Adhikari invites Left critics to Viswakarma Puja at Nabanna
Times of India | 15 September 2026Speaking at the inauguration of a Ganesh Puja organised by Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Ballygunge, Adhikari said people had broken the “barriers of unnecessary restrictions” and brought Ganapati out of homes and onto the streets.
Extending an open invitation to the Left, the CM said: “I will offer pushpanjali on Vishwakarma Puja at Nabanna. I invite you to come that day and stand beside me to offer pushpanjali.”
Adhikari said the Sangha has been organising this puja for the past four years. “Earlier, permission was not given to hold it on the streets and it had to be confined indoors. Despite that, many people used to attend. But we have ultimately brought Ganapati out,” he said.
Taking a dig at Left, the CM said some Communists were questioning why Ganesh Puja, which they associated with Maharashtra, was being celebrated in Bengal. “We are all Indian Hindus. There will be no regional barriers among us. We have broken and crushed those barriers. We will all live together,” Adhikari said.
The CM said the previous govt could not have imagined Ganesh Puja turning into a public festival on the streets. “People have made it possible. In a few days, Devipaksha will begin. With Ganesh Chaturthi, the festive mood has already begun in Bengal,” he said.
Adhikari also targeted what he called “anti-national forces” and the “tukde-tukde gang”, urging people to maintain distance from those who, he alleged, wanted to harm the country while living in it. He appealed to people to preserve the state’s Sanatani traditions and cultural symbols, including “tika, sikha, shakha and pola”.
