Mamata Banerjee Is Redefining Bengal’s Battle Strategies with a Notable Change in Her Approach to Religion.

A centuries-old ceremony along the Hooghly river in Tribeni, West Bengal, has turned into a platform for intense political intrigue.

This February, the Tribeni Kumbh Mela – a Hindu pilgrimage unexpectedly initiated by Hindutva groups in 2022 – attracted almost seven lakh devotees across three days. Yet beneath the holy dips and coordinated chants, a more subdued conflict emerged: a struggle between chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, each competing to assert ownership of the festival.

The beginnings of the Tribeni Kumbh are clouded in political matters. Hindutva organizations, headed by the Santan Samiti, initiated the event in 2022 as a “restoration” of an alleged 700-year-old custom – a statement rapidly echoed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Mann Ki Baat transmission. Journalist Snigdhendu Bhattacharya’s inquiry featured in Article 14 dispelled the misinformation.  

Nonetheless, local TMC activists fervently advocated for the Tribeni Kumbh from the beginning, marketing it as a form of cultural revival. By 2024, the party’s top leadership had completely integrated the spectacle, utilizing state resources to validate what originated as a Sangh Parivar initiative.

Banerjee’s government also actively promoted a ‘Kumbh Mela’ at two locations in West Bengal as an alternative for devotees unable to travel to Uttar Pradesh’s Maha Kumbh. The TMC also launched a high-visibility campaign across West Bengal to promote the Kumbh Snan or holy dip, blanketing the state with hoardings featuring the event.

“We are thankful to Didi [Mamata Banerjee]. With such massive crowds, getting train tickets for Prayagraj was impossible. Our local councillor informed us that this was the original Adi Kumbh of Tribeni, and Didi has made arrangements for the holy dip here. They helped us reach the site, and we were able to take part in the ritual. We even saw several Naga sadhus here!” said a devotee, Soma Sanyal, who lives in the north Bengal town of Siliguri. Sanyal was at Tribeni with her family.

“We have the support of both the state and central governments. This year, the chief minister entrusted minister Becharam Manna with the task of overseeing the event’s infrastructure, security, lighting, and transportation, ensuring that everything went smoothly. We are grateful to the state government for their assistance,” said Kanchan Banerjee, one of the organisers of the Tribeni Kumbh Mela.

The fairgrounds were decorated with huge banners showcasing pictures of Modi and Mamata Banerjee. Although posters clearly announced Mamata as the main inaugurator of the event, she notably stayed away, opting to send a written note conveying her support and aspirations for the gathering’s success. She officially mentioned “concerns about overcrowding” – a reason she also provided for not attending the Gangasagar Mela.

This is not a singular occurrence but a glimpse into the TMC leader’s larger plan to combat the BJP’s Hindutva movement. In January, Banerjee unveiled Rs 1,500 crores worth of infrastructure projects for Gangasagar, a Hindu pilgrimage destination, claiming that the Union government had ignored Bengal’s “spiritual heritage.” The Gangasagar Mela, an annual gathering taking place at the junction of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on Sagar Island, has been utilized as a key event by the Banerjee administration, complementing her “Bengal Pride” theme.

Critics challenge the allocation of public money for religious initiatives, claiming it obscures the distinction between governance and spirituality. Mamata’s dual approach—linking Hindu-focused initiatives with inclusive welfare programs—has enabled her to maintain secular respect while appealing to the Hindu majority, but divisions are starting to appear.

“Bengal’s rulers are driven by malicious intent. They believe their main goal is winning over a section of voters by playing the religion card, so they’ve joined the game. Earlier, they exploited Muslim sentiments; now, they’re targeting Hindu votes. They’re creating a dangerous communal climate here, mirroring the rest of the country,” said academic Miratun Nahar, who once supported the TMC during its rise to power.

Though Banerjee’s core base, including women and the state’s 30% minority population, rallied behind her in the 2021 and 2024 elections, a growing segment of minority voters now voice disillusionment, accusing her of instrumentalising identity politics for electoral gains.

“Both the ruling parties at the centre and the state want votes to be cast along religious lines. If temples are built using public funds, people from other communities would also expect the government to construct their religious sites. It’s disheartening that the state’s ruling party, which secured minority votes by stoking fear of the BJP, is pursuing the same divisive tactics,” said Indian Secular Front MLA Nawsad Siddique. 

Whether this shift fortifies her against the BJP or erodes her secular credentials remains uncertain, but one thing is clear – in Bengal’s no-holds-barred political arena, Mamata Banerjee is rewriting the battle rules.