Bengal BJP holds fish-and-rice feasts to prove non-veg is still on the menu

Besides canvassing with fish in their hands and flashing fish while campaigning in the 2026 Bengal elections, a victorious Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now going all out to flog their love for fish. It's a bone they clearly want to pick with the Mamata-led Trinamool Congress (TMC).

After Mamata levelled the accusation during election campaigns that the BJP government would threaten Bengal’s food culture, particularly the deeply rooted tradition of 'maachh-bhaat' (fish and rice), the staple diet of millions of Bengali households, many a Bengali's heart skipped a nervous beat. But, for the fuming BJP desperate for an electoral win, the lotus was quietly sunk and a new symbol was fished out to rally behind in West Bengal: the Katla.

Fish feasts galore

In a move clearly designed to prove that the party isn’t out to sink the Bengali diet, Bengal's newly-sworn in minister Dilip Ghosh spent his Sunday (May 10) at a Machhli Utsav (Fish Festival) in Maniktala, along with BJP’s MLA-elect Tapas Roy. The purpose? To debunk Mamata's "false narrative" that a BJP win would mean the death of the fish fry.

Also read: Holy Mackerel! BJP, TMC in serious debate over fish ahead of Bengal polls

If TMC spent the campaign warning that the BJP would "veg-ify" the state, the saffron brigade is now busy drowning those claims by making a public display of tucking into fish at every opportunity.

Aatmanirbhar Fish

At the Machli Utsav, Ghosh made it a point to slam former chief minister Mamata Banerjee for whipping up fear over the BJP clamping down on consumption of fish and meat if it won the assembly polls. "Didi’s (Mamata Banerjee) entire poll campaign was built on falsehood and misleading propaganda. People of the state did not buy her logic and snubbed her with a resounding verdict,” Ghosh said, responding to queries by reporters.

“They tried to convince Bengalis that the BJP would take fish off their plates. Today, Bengal can see who is actually celebrating its culture," he added. On the claims by Mamata and other leaders of the TMC about the BJP imposing a diktat on dietary habits of people if it came to power, he said, “Have you witnessed any such thing since the poll results were out and afterwards, when the new government took over? Look at the fish markets everywhere.”

Not to be outdone in the culinary-political theater, BJP's MLA-elect from Maniktala, Tapas Roy flagged the previous regime’s neglect of pisciculture. According to Roy, the TMC’s biggest crime wasn’t just political—it was making Bengal dependent on other states for its daily catch. He alleged that the previous TMC regime had failed to develop the pisciculture sector, and Bengal had to rely on other states to fulfil the demand for fish “unlike” in the past, when it was self-sufficient in fish production.

The BJP’s new promise? "Aatmanirbhar Fish." Roy assured that under the new government, Bengal will no longer have to look at Andhra Pradesh’s ponds for fish.

Fish power

BJP's 'fish power' display was hard to ignore. In Contai, a community feast was served for nearly 3,000 supporters, while in Daspur, thousands more gathered to prove that their loyalty to the party is matched only by their devotion to a well-cooked carp.

For the BJP, these feasts are more than just a victory lunch; they are a calculated rebuttal to the TMC’s 'gundagardi' and 'anti-Bengali' labels.

Also read: Was West Bengal election campaign toxic or funny? Looking back at its many shades

Even as the BJP started showing big leads in the assembly elections, BJP workers across party offices in West Bengal celebrated by whipping up traditional Bengali dishes, including fish curry, dal with fish head and rice.

As food, including the spicy snack jhalmuri, dominated the recently-concluded elections, BJP is making it clear the menu in Bengal remains strictly non-vegetarian.

As the new administration takes the helm, the message to the public is clear: The BJP might be saffron on the outside, but it’s pure Rui-Katla on the inside. Whether this "piscatorial diplomacy" will keep the voters hooked remains to be seen, but for now, the BJP is happily swimming with the current.

Bengali's love for fish

For a Bengali, fish isn’t just an ingredient; it’s an identity. This bond is captured in the adage 'maach-e-bhaat-e-bangali' (fish and rice make a Bengali)—a phrase that distills centuries of tradition into a single plate.

More than a dietary staple, fish serves as a potent cultural anchor, symbolising everything from fertility and prosperity to simple good fortune. It is woven into the very fabric of life’s milestones. It is used in weddings, where no tattva (ceremonial gift exchange) is complete without a beautifully decorated fish.

Fish is also often reverently offered to deities during major festivals like Durga Puja. From the morning bustle of the local baazar to the evening meal, fish is a constant, comforting presence.