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Fish turns thorny issue in Bengal: ‘Will not ban it’, BJP's Amit Shah says after CM Mamata's cultural warning
At a recent rally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the BJP would "ban fish, meat and even eggs" if it came to power in West Bengal.
Union home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah had to specifically clarify his party's stance on fish and eggs in poll-bound West Bengal on Friday. He said the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) “is spreading rumours”, and that “consumption of fish, eggs will not be stopped” if the BJP comes to power in the state, where the Centre's ruling Hindutva-driven party is hoping to dislodge Mamata Banerjee's regional party that's been in power since 2011.
The state votes on April 23 and 29, with counting and results set for May 4.
Shah's assertion came as he released the BJP manifesto for the polls, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, at a public rally in Haldia, that the TMC government had failed to match fish production with its high demand in the state. He promised the BJP would make the state self-sufficient in fisheries and the seafood sector.
Meat comes into play on ‘outsider’ pitch
CM Mamata Banerjee then said at rally at Agarpara in North 24 Parganas district that people are not allowed to eat non-vegetarian food in BJP-ruled states.
"I heard that today, he (PM) said that there is no fish production in Bengal, while Bihar is producing more and exporting. But you do not allow people to eat fish in Bihar. Here we purchase fish from markets and eat," the TMC supremo said. "We produce fish in our ponds. Fish is available in every market... People here are free to eat as per their choice. We do not interfere with that. People in BJP-ruled states are not allowed to eat eggs, fish and meat," she said.
CM Banerjee also claimed the BJP would "ban fish, meat and even eggs" if it came to power in the state. At another event, she repeated this, as part of her campaign portraying the BJP as a party that's not in sync with Bengal as a cultural entity. "They are not aware of the traditions and culture of West Bengal... It's a party of outsiders," Banerjee said.
The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) by the central government says over 70% of people in India consume some form of meat — with some differentiation across majority Hindus to the largest minority Muslims to Christians, tribals, and others.
In West Bengal and Nagaland, surveys put the number of meat-eaters near 99%, with another poll-bound state, Kerala in the South, near that number too.
The BJP and its ideological parent body RSS have traditionally held vegetarianism to be a tenet of the Hindu religion, but the party tempered that for states where Hindus, too, predominantly eat meat.
Beef is a particular sticking point as the BJP underlines that the cow is considered holy in Hinduism; but has promised not to ban even that in states where it's staple.
In Bengal, fish is is intrinsic to cultural Bengali identity, from roadside stalls to wedding feasts and religious rituals.
The chatter across these spaces has now centred around whether PM Modi's party will ban fish if it takes power.
BJP says won't ban it, dangles fish to prove it
The BJP, even before the professed vegetarian Amit Shah's statement on Friday, has denied it intends to ban fish in the state.
The local leaders, in particular, have sought to assuage fears — visibly. A video of BJP candidate Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay campaigning with a fish dangling from his hand went viral.
BJP state unit chief Samik Bhattacharya said the aim of that campaign was to “counter the TMC”.
"Most people in (West) Bengal eat non-vegetarian food, and even BJP leadership consumes non-vegetarian food," Bhattacharya said.
But Mamata Banerjee's warnings have tapped into a sentiment.
“If any restriction is imposed on the sale of fish, people in the state will revolt,” Kolkata resident Sumita Dutta, 59, a teacher at a state-run school, told news agency AFP. "I cannot imagine Bengalis without a preparation of fish during lunch or dinner," she added.
"Fish is important to Bengali culture and cuisine, serving both as a daily staple and a celebrated delicacy," said Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury, former vice-chancellor of a state-run university. That ranges from the sacred "hilsa" offered as prasad during festivities, to the carp served at wedding rituals to symbolise fertility.
"Fish and rice make a Bengali," he said.
Fishing for votes
But the fears in Bengal stem from BJP and others from the RSS “parivar” or ‘family of organisations’ having pushed restrictions on meat, especially during Hindu festivals, in other places.
In Bengal's neighbouring Bihar, where the BJP retained power last year, the sale of fish and meat near schools and religious sites was banned in February.
In 2024, the BJP government in the northeastern state of Assam, another neighbour of Bengal, announced a complete ban on serving or consuming beef in restaurants, hotels, public functions, and public spaces, expanding earlier local restrictions into a statewide policy.
In Kerala, though, the BJP's stance on beef is distinct from its national-level rhetoric, often taking a pragmatic approach to align with local habits. While the party opposes cow slaughter at large, Kerala BJP leaders have frequently stated they do not oppose the sale or consumption of beef, with some candidates even promising quality beef to voters.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi even went into animal biology to insist recently that the beef consumed in Northeast India, in places like Assam and Nagaland, comes from an animal called “mithun”, a different bovine species.
