Durga Puja 2025: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that every registered Durga Puja committee in the state will receive Rs 1.10 lakh in grant funds, up from Rs 85,000, benefiting approximately 40,000–45,000 clubs, with total disbursement exceeding Rs 400 crore this year. She also added that electricity bills will see an 80% concession for these committees.
What BJP said?
Following the announcement, Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s IT Cell, lambasted the grant, calling it “absolutely shameful” for a government that claims paying Dearness Allowance (DA) is “backbreaking.” He referred to the grants and associated schemes like “Amader Para, Amader Samadhan”, which allocates Rs 10 lakh per booth, as blatant vote‑buying ahead of the 2026 state assembly elections.
“Public money is not her family property to auction off like royal bounty. While the state burns, she celebrates,” reads Malviya’s post.
Absolutely shameful!
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 1, 2025
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hiked the Durgapuja dole from ₹85,000 to ₹1.10 lakh per committee — a whopping ₹400 crore handout to nearly 45,000 puja clubs!
This from a government that told the Supreme Court it can’t pay Dearness… pic.twitter.com/afcxPiP6f7
Malviya continued, condemning the timing and scale of the giveaway as insulting to Bengal’s citizens, especially amid stalled hires, overdue exam results, massive state debt of Rs 7 lakh crore and crumbling infrastructure.
Durga Puja prep
At a Puja committee coordination meeting in Kolkata, Banerjee urged organisers to support migrant workers returning to West Bengal after purported harassment in BJP-governed states: “I request Durga Puja committees to help migrant workers… returning to Bengal after facing torture in BJP‑ruled states.”
She also called on them to ensure smooth arrangements for traffic, health, sanitation, electricity and police deployment during Puja festivities. She framed the grant as cultural affirmation, stressing Durga Puja’s status as a UNESCO‑recognised heritage event and its role in Bengal’s identity and economy. While CM Banerjee says the grant is essential support for West Bengal’s cultural fabric, BJP argue it’s a calculated move to sway local Puja clubs ahead of elections.
The TMC supremo asserts the funding fuels the local economy, Durga Puja festivals generate significant revenue, possibly up to Rs 80,000 crore annually. However, BJP leaders insist the state’s pressing challenges, including delayed recruitments, failed tranche of Justice demands, debt, and floods should take priority over festival support.