West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has set a new condition for Leftist book stalls that operate outside Durga Puja pandals. Speaking in the state Assembly, he said these stalls must call the festival 'Durga Puja'. If they write 'Sharodotsav' instead, they should not be allowed to run.
The statement puts a direct choice before Durga Puja committees across the state: allow the stalls only if they use the name 'Durga Puja', or keep them out entirely.
What Adhikari Said About Left Book Stalls at Durga Puja
Adhikari accused a section of the Left of selectively targeting 'Sanatan Dharma' and the saffron colour. He said a group of professors, whom he called "so-called Leftists", are attacking Sanatanis.
His message to pandal organisers was clear. He asked all Durga Puja committees to keep CPI(M)-associated book stalls away if those stalls used the term 'Sharodotsav' — literally, autumn festival — to describe the celebrations.
"A section of professors, who are so-called Leftists, are attacking Sanatanis. They are selectively targeting the saffron colour. I would ask all Durga Puja committees that if the Communists write 'Sharodotsav'..."
The remark turns a naming choice into a condition for doing business at Bengal's biggest festival. For the Left, the term 'Sharodotsav' has long been used to describe the autumn celebrations. Adhikari's diktat now ties that word to whether their stalls get space outside pandals.
Why the 'Sharodotsav' vs 'Durga Puja' Name Row Matters
The dispute is not just about language. It is about who gets to define the festival and who gets space at it.
- The Chief Minister wants the name 'Durga Puja' used by all stalls outside pandals.
- Stalls linked to the CPI(M) that use 'Sharodotsav' face being kept out.
- Adhikari framed the issue as an attack on Sanatan Dharma and the saffron colour.
- The instruction was given on the floor of the West Bengal Assembly.
Durga Puja committees now hold the practical power here. They decide which stalls operate outside their pandals. Adhikari's appeal asks them to use that power as a filter — name the festival his way, or lose your spot.
Our Take: A Naming Rule That Goes Too Far
In our view, this is a political move dressed up as a cultural correction. Calling the festival 'Sharodotsav' is not an insult to Durga Puja. It is simply another name for the same autumn celebration. Turning that word into a test for book stalls mixes religion with party politics.
To put it plainly, a Chief Minister telling pandal committees whom to allow and whom to block sets a troubling example. Today the test is a word on a banner. Tomorrow it could be anything else. Festival committees should be free to decide their own stalls without pressure from the state's top office.
For readers in Bengal, the real question is simple: should a book stall's signboard decide whether it can exist outside a pandal? That is the line Adhikari has drawn. It is up to pandal organisers — and voters — to decide if they accept it.
