New Delhi: A political row erupted in West Bengal Monday after a state government advertisement depicted Hindu goddess Durga with 11 arms instead of 10. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) raised an uproar, asking why the BJP was “so alien to Bengali culture”. Later in the day, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued an apology.
The newspaper advertisement—which also featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adhikari—was published ahead of a coordination meeting the CM chaired with Durga Puja committees in Kolkata Monday. The meeting was organised jointly by the Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in association with West Bengal’s Information and Cultural Affairs department.
“A government that claims to speak for Bengal seems increasingly disconnected from Bengali culture, traditions and the festivals that define Bengal’s identity. Since when does Maa Durga have 11 hands?” the TMC posted on X.
It added: “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.”
So now, according to the @BJP4Bengal government, Maa Durga has 11 hands?
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… pic.twitter.com/HnnKdeOq7h
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 7, 2026
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, in his own X post, tagged Adhikari, saying: “Mother Dashabhuja has become Ekadashbhuja. According to the scriptures, one hand needs to be reduced. I keep hearing about various conduct rules every day. Among them, if Mother’s hand count increases in 2026, the matter will become complicated. Immediately instruct the concerned department not to distort the original maternal idol.”
.@SuvenduWB
মাননীয় মুখ্যমন্ত্রী, সরকারি বিজ্ঞাপনে মা দশভূজা তো একাদশভূজা হয়ে গিয়েছেন। শাস্ত্রমতে একটি হাত তো কমানো দরকার। নানা আচরণবিধি রোজ শুনছি। তার মধ্যে মায়ের হাত সংখ্যা 2026-এ এসে বেড়ে গেলে বিষয়টা জটিল হবে। অবিলম্বে সংশ্লিষ্ট দপ্তরকে বলুন মূল মাতৃপ্রতিমা বিকৃত না… pic.twitter.com/uQzRbmemF5
— Kunal Ghosh (@KunalGhoshAgain) September 7, 2026
West Bengal CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim told ThePrint: “Since their (BJP’s) government in the state is new, they want to create fanaticism in the name of Sanatan and are bent upon administering new religious codes to Bengalis. They have outsourced all government work to agencies who do not have one iota of idea about Bengali rules, laws, customs and culture.”
He further claimed that at a time people are concerned about the education system, inflation, women’s safety, corruption and democracy, the BJP is trying to distract the masses in the name of religion. “Those who thought they would improve the socio-political-economic conditions of the state are the same people who are pushing Bengalis and their education, culture, economy and the rest towards doom.”
CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh also sarcastically remarked on Facebook, “A wonderful government advertisement! Here, Ma Durga has eleven arms. The gods had bestowed weapons upon Durga in ten hands to slay the demon. Meanwhile, the BJP government has gifted the deity an extra arm.”
CM Suvendu, while addressing the coordination meeting with Durga Puja committees at the Milan Mela Prangan, said those responsible for the advertisement have been cautioned and assured people that the government would be more careful in the future. “First of all, as the chief minister of the state, I apologise. A defective advertisement was published this morning. I apologise for that. Those who issued the defective advertisement have been cautioned. The government will be more careful about such matters in future.”
Responding to the controversy, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said the 11-armed depiction had made “Maa Durga” even more powerful. He added that although he had not come across the advertisement, a mistake by an agency was not a political issue and the error would be rectified.
The controversy comes on the heels of another one surrounding Durga Puja, with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) asking organisers to prohibit non-vegetarian food inside pandals, arguing that meat and fish should be kept outside the sacred premises.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Dear VHP, spend one Durga Puja in Kolkata before giving Bengalis food diktats