From faith to food, concerns over curbs on freedom linked to BJP surge
Telegraph | 28 April 2026
The freedom of choice that defines Calcutta can be the casualty of a BJP victory in the state polls, fear many voters.
Senior BJP leaders say the fears are misplaced and, to a large extent, a construct of the “Marxist ecosystem and media”.
Dispelling such apprehensions is easier said than done. The blanket ban on liquor for almost 10 days in areas voting in the second phase did not make things better.
The Election Commission has distanced itself from the ban, appearing to blame bureaucratic overreach. But it has not found many takers.
“Everyone knows how the Election Commission is running the show. It is clear that the commission’s decisions are tilted in favour of the BJP. Maybe the BJP is testing the waters with a teaser of a ban,” said one restaurateur, requesting anonymity.
The attempt to impose a blanket ban on bikes also did not go down well, especially with families whose livelihood depends on the two-wheeler.
The commission was forced to issue a partial rollback after Calcutta High Court intervened.
Faith
For a long time, the BJP has been associated with a brand of politics that demands not only a citizen’s vote but also ideological loyalty. An ideology that does not sit well with many things that Calcuttans take for granted. Like the freedom to eat, drink and wear what they want. Like the freedom to pray to a God of their choice, or to not pray at all. The list could go on.
“I am a devout atheist. My religion is science. We work to dispel superstitions. I remember Suvendu Adhikari saying openly that atheism will not be tolerated in BJP-ruled Bengal,” said a member of a platform of rationalists who work to bust myths and superstitions in rural Bengal.
A biryani seller, who owns three outlets in the city, was also apprehensive. “I have seen a BJP leader (deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha) in Bihar talk about banning the open sale of meat and fish near schools, colleges and religious places. Goons have attacked non-vegetarian food stalls during Navratri. If the BJP comes to power, I will have to tread with caution, especially during religious festivals.
‘Baseless’
Shishir Bajoria, industrialist and BJP leader, said there was no basis for such apprehensions. “Non-veg food is served at our party office. In Bengal, people will always eat non-vegetarian food. There is no debate on this, even within the party. Any counter-narrative is, to quote the chief minister, a sajano ghatana (staged incident),” he said.
Another BJP leader said: “Many of the apprehensions have been peddled by the Marxist ecosystem and the media. We cannot compromise on our core ideological agenda, whether we are in power or in the Opposition. People will be free to pray to the God of their choice. We believe in Sanatan Dharma, which is inclusive and has a place for everybody. Our currency is nationalism.”
Uphill task
A veteran businessman with roots in Calcutta but a presence across the country was not on board. “Chokhe lagchhe (Bad optics),” was how he described the alleged high-handedness of the poll panel, which he said was inseparable from the BJP. “There was no need for such a long ban on alcohol or on two-wheelers. In a democracy, balance is the key,” he said.
A sociologist said the simple act of voting had been made to look like an uphill task in this election.
“Each set of restrictions is causing inconvenience for a section of society. They are differentially applicable to different groups, but there seems to be a unifying factor in all of them. They amount to difficulties in the simple act of voting,” said Upal Chakrabarti, associate professor of sociology at Presidency University.
“People who vote for the BJP despite all of these are ideologically aligned with the party. But for those who are not, such curbs create doubts,” he said.
Authoritarian, who?
From the Uniform Civil Code to “one nation, one election”, many of the BJP’s pet projects underscore the perception that the party wants a homogenous country. A Prime Minister accused of authoritarianism only amplifies these concerns.
But Narendra Modi is not the only leader facing such allegations. His principal rival in Bengal, and possibly across the country, Mamata Banerjee, has run into similar charges. The CPM, whose 34-year-old regime she ended, was far from unblemished.
Same-same but...
According to some, the authoritarian streak in the BJP and its biggest leader differs from that in their rivals, as does the nature of the restrictions.
“The restrictions imposed by the BJP-RSS and the rest of the saffron ecosystem are much more in your face. The nature of the restrictions, such as those on interfaith marriage and eating beef, is such that the scale of their expression in the public sphere is much greater. In the age of social media, these expressions are easily magnified,” a historian of eminence said.
“Most political parties have an authoritarian streak. But their expressions in the public sphere are different in nature. The authoritarianism of non-BJP parties is experienced by party members and workers. The authoritarianism in the ruling party can be felt by bureaucrats. But the general public’s identification with that streak is limited,” he added.