Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated the Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, which features the military-themed ‘Operation Sindoor’ tribute this year. He then shared a prayer for the state’s political future: “I have prayed to Maa that after the elections, such a government comes to this Bengal that can build Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal). May we be able to construct here the Bengal of Kaviguru’s (Rabindranath Tagore’s) imagination.”

He further linked the state’s development to a “national” vision, hoping the Puja would “lead us towards the auspicious, and may the dream of a developed India envisioned by our leader Narendra Modi be fulfilled through the development of Bengal.”

The inauguration was particularly significant as it coincided with the 205th birth anniversary of the great educationist and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay). Shah offered “heartful reverence” to Vidyasagar, praising his work in education, Bengali language, culture, and women’s rights “when the entire country was enslaved”.

Extending his “best wishes and congratulations for Durga Puja to the entire public of West Bengal and the people of the country,” Shah spoke about the festival’s global prominence. “The entire world has acknowledged and witnessed this great tradition of Bengal,” he said.

This comes months ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in the state — at a time when the ruling Trinamool Congress has regularly criticised the BJP for being “anti-Bengali” over the issue of migrant workers being allegedly pushed to Bangladesh.

The Minister also extended condolences to families of the “more than 10 people” who lost their lives due to recent heavy rainfall before the Puja. Separately, he offered worship at the renowned Kalighat temple in the city earlier in the day.

Notably, the iconic bust of Vidyasagar was vandalized and smashed inside the campus of Vidyasagar College in Kolkata on May 14, 2019. The incident occurred amidst violent clashes that erupted between the supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) during a massive roadshow led by then-BJP President Amit Shah, just days before the last phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The incident triggered a massive political firestorm in the state, with both major parties accusing each other of the act of vandalism. A new statue was built to replace the broken one which was unveiled by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.