The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Subhendu Adhikari, made a statement regarding the situation of the Hindu saint Chinmay Krishna, who is currently detained in a Bangladeshi prison. During the opening ceremony of Ganesh Puja in Rajarhat Gopalpur on Saturday, Adhikari noted that photographs of Chinmay Krishna, which appeared during his mother's funeral after being released on five-hour parole, deeply moved all Hindus worldwide.
He stated that if it were not for the struggle of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Swami Pranabanda, which led to India's inclusion, the current situation might be similar to Chinmay Krishna's situation.
Furthermore, the minister accused the Left Front and TMC governments, which ruled in turn, of deliberately concealing the contribution of Mukherjee and Pranabanda to the movement for an independent homeland for Bengali Hindus.
Adhikari also shared personal pain, recalling the experience of his mother, Gayatri Devi. His family originally lived in an area that is now Bangladesh. He recounted that during the partition, they had to flee to India with his father because they were Hindus.
He emphasized: 'I myself have sorrow. Because I am a Hindu, my mother also had to leave everything behind and flee with my father, having only clothes.'
Chinmay Krishna has been in custody in Bangladesh since November 2024 on charges of alleged crimes against Bangladesh. Recently, he was allowed to attend his mother's funeral with five hours of conditional release. His mother passed away last week.
Adhikari has repeatedly raised the issue of the status of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Last year, he also brought up this topic following the murder of Dipu Das in Mymensingh; at the time, as an opposition leader, he called for resolute protests until the Dhaka authorities clarified the situation regarding action against the perpetrators and measures to ensure the safety of Hindus.
He reiterated: 'The Left and TMC tried to make people forget the struggle and the contribution of Mukherjee and Swami Pranabanda in achieving an independent homeland for Bengali Hindus. We want to restore this tradition and heritage.'
This political statement by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came amid a broad ideological battle concerning the cultural calendar of the state, religious rituals, and historical events related to the partition and the inclusion of Bengal into India.
Subhendu Adhikari once again criticized the 34-year rule of the Left Front, asserting that the communist government tried to distance itself from the religious and cultural traditions of Bengal. He stated: 'For 34 years, the left rule tried to make us forget our Panchang, sacred scriptures, traditions, priests, Aarti, and Pushanjali.' He also accused them of ideologically criticizing Durga Puja and Mahalaya in the same vein.
After this, he targeted the TMC, accusing the previous government of attempting to 'Jamatize' Bengal in recent years of its rule.