The torn poster at Birati
He added, “There are at least 150 biryani shops in Uttarpara, and this was the only one to do such a thing. Nearly 100 posters have surfaced across the city, including ward 24, where tourism minister and local MLA Shankar Ghosh resides. They likely tried to attract customers with a catchy tagline, but such things should not be done with religious matters.” (Inputs from Falguni Banerjee) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in Kolkata Stay updated with the latest Kolkata news.
Chakraborty said, “Members of the local BJP mandal protested against it. Defending the campaign, Hindu Jagran Manch member Abhishek Das said the initiative was aimed to awaken the Hindu community and make its members financially self-reliant. “Patronising Hindu-owned businesses will help their trade grow and improve economic condition,” he said. Ashok Bhattacharya, former Siliguri mayor and ex-minister, said, “Extremist right-wingers are trying to build a narrative, but such religious decrees will not work in Bengal, especially in Siliguri. Kunal Ghosh, Trinamool spokesperson and Beleghata MLA, said, “The Siliguri incident is unacceptable as taste cannot be bound by religious boundaries.
Kolkata/Siliguri: Three incidents, two near Kolkata and one in Siliguri, have sparked a debate on the mix between food and the festivity. Featuring an image of Goddess Durga in the top-left corner, the banners urged people to savor biryani, showing dishes with chicken, egg, and a fish platter. When members of the local BJP mandal protested, Uttarpara MLA Dipanjan Chakraborty intervened, ensuring that the shop owner removed all banners and submitted a written apology to the police. Using an image of Goddess Durga to promote a biryani shop is unacceptable. How could they do this to Durga Ma? We lodged a complaint at the Uttarpara Police Station. The shop owner came to the station, admitted his fault, gave a written undertaking, and took the initiative to remove all the posters himself. Shop owners are free to follow their marketing strategies, but they cannot commercialise the image of Durga Ma to advertise a non-vegetarian platter. The shop owner did not respond to calls from TOI . This comes shortly after a protest erupted at Birati, Dum Dum, where a group of locals objected to the use of Goddess Durga’s image on advertisements for another biryani outlet. The protesters threatened the shop owner and attempted to vandalise the outlet, prompting officers from the Dum Dum PS to step in and bring the situation under control. The incident took place last week at the outlet located along Jessore Road, triggering tension near Diamond Plaza in Birati. A video recorded by a YouTuber for a vlog went viral. Following police intervention, measures were taken to remove all hoardings advertising the outlet. The posters, installed by the Hindu Jagran Manch (Siliguri Mahanagar), also urge people to purchase meat and puja essentials from Hindu-owned shops and to be mindful of the identities of hawkers visiting their neighborhoods. Ghosh declined to comment. Das maintained that the posters were neither directives nor diktats, but rather social messages and suggestions intended to encourage members of the community to support one another economically. Recently, they tried to shut down a meat shop, but our party workers protested. Biryani from a Hindu-owned shop could taste excellent or a Muslim-owned shop’s biryani could have a wonderful flavor — food is defined by taste, not religion. Such decrees cannot be accepted. On the other hand, the Hindmotor controversy could have been avoided if the shop owner had exercised better judgment. Download the TOI App.
The latest incident on Saturday night involved advertisement banners for a biryani shop named ‘Rockstar’ in Hindmotor along G T Road. Meanwhile, in Siliguri on Saturday and Sunday, posters have been put up by the Hindu Jagran Manch urging people to buy and consume biryani exclusively from Hindu-run outlets.