New Delhi, August 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) guidelines on Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal have triggered a political debate over the sale and consumption of non-vegetarian food around puja pandals, with leaders from different parties taking contrasting positions on the issue.
The VHP, in guidelines issued on Friday ahead of Durga Puja, urged organisers to follow traditional practices and ensure that non-vegetarian food is neither sold nor consumed in and around puja pandals. The organisation, however, clarified that it was not seeking a blanket ban on non-vegetarian food during the festival.
The guidelines noted that Durga Puja in Bengal has historically not been strictly vegetarian but stressed that the sanctity of the goddess’s idol should be maintained and that it should not come into contact with non-vegetarian food.
JD(U) National General Secretary Shyam Rajak supported stopping the sale of meat and fish during Durga Puja but raised questions about the implications for traditional animal sacrifices associated with certain religious practices.
“It is a good thing that the sale of meat and fish is stopped during Durga Puja,” Rajak said, while asking what would happen to meat obtained through animal sacrifices performed during the festival.
He suggested that if the VHP wanted restrictions on meat and fish sales, it should also appeal to communities that practise animal sacrifice to discontinue the tradition.
Upasana Arora, president of the VHP’s Indraprastha Province, welcomed the guidelines and said they were consistent with practices she had observed during Durga Puja since childhood. She said many families traditionally refrain from consuming meat and alcohol during the festival and described such practices as part of Indian culture.
Congress leader Udit Raj, however, opposed the VHP’s position and questioned its authority to prescribe dietary practices.
“Who are they to prescribe what people should do?” Raj said, arguing that food choices are protected as a constitutional right and that the VHP had no authority to issue such directions.
The controversy has widened into a broader debate over religious traditions, dietary choices, cultural practices and the role of organisations in determining norms around public religious celebrations.
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