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

“Machhe Bhaate Bangali” (fish and rice make a Bengali) is a term which is often associated with everyday Bengali life. It means how inseparable fish is from the Bengali identity and authenticity.

But with the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal turning into an all-out war between the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), not one aspect of Bengali identity is being spared, now including the fish. The two rivals, literally, have now gone fishing in the deep waters for votes.

Identity politics vs development narrative

Going by the fierce battle of words that election-bound Bengal has seen over the past many weeks or months, particularly over apprehensions that the saffron party would appropriate the Bengali cultural space, including food habits, if it wins this poll, a deep confrontation between identity politics and development narrative has taken centre stage.

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While the TMC has tried to portray the BJP as a non-Bengali outsider threatening to snatch the Bengalis’ cultural identity, the latter has countered, saying Mamata Banerjee’s ‘misrule’ has only made her own state suffer.

It is amid this narrative that Prime Minister Modi added more fire to the debate, and he used fish, the staple local food, to do it.

On Thursday (April 9), he targeted the TMC government, saying it failed to meet the high demand for fish, a staple food of Bengalis, in the state. Modi called it a result of the Mamata Banerjee-led government’s “misguided policies”.

Speaking at a rally in Haldia in Purba Medinipur district of the state bordering the Bay of Bengal, he said Bengal has an immense opportunity to tap into in fish farming, in fisheries and seafood, and despite a huge demand for fish, the state is far from self-reliant in fish production.

'Bengal is compelled to import fish'

“Even today, Bengal is compelled to import fish from other states to meet its domestic requirements. Even after 15 years in power, the TMC has failed to provide you with even something as basic as fish; that, too, must be sourced from outside the state. This stands as a glaring example of the TMC's misguided policies.

“Over the last 11 years, India's overall fish production has doubled. India's seafood exports have doubled. Yet, here in Bengal--solely due to the TMC government--what was successfully achieved across the rest of the country failed to materialise,” Modi said.

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Modi also touched upon the TMC’s allegations that the BJP would impose restrictions on Bengalis' fish-eating habits if it came to power in the state. On the contrary, he said that his government is eyeing to boost fisheries and turn Haldia port into a "blue economy zone" with increased budget allocations and other facilities for the local fishermen.

Under BJP, landlocked states 'became self-reliant' in fish

He also pointed to other BJP/NDA-ruled states such as Bihar and Assam, both landlocked states, saying they have become self-sufficient in fish production. According to him, wherever there is a BJP government, fish production has increased.

It may be mentioned here that the PM’s fish-based attack on the TMC came weeks after Mamata cautioned the people of Bengal in a rally, saying that they would be barred from consuming fish and other meat items if the BJP captured power in the state in this election.

'Fish not eaten in BJP-ruled states'

“Fish is not eaten in BJP-ruled states. If the BJP comes, you won't be able to eat meat or eggs. BJP is one-sided; they don't believe in any religion. These people incite riots. They come to power by inciting riots, and they come to power by killing people,” she said in a rally in Purulia in south-west Bengal.

The exchanges between Mamata and Modi around eatables have not happened in isolation. A few months ago, the TMC condemned the NDA government in neighbouring Bihar for allegedly banning the sale of fish and meat after it sought to regulate the open sale of meat in the urban areas. Mamata also said on that occasion that if the saffron party came to power in Bengal, it would ban fish and meat in Bengal.

Bengal BJP chief says claims on food habits not right

The state chief of the BJP, Shamik Bhattacharya, countered the TMC supremo’s claims, saying the BJP had no such intention. “Can Bengalis not eat fish? Bengal will have its fish and meat,” he said.

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Allegation that the TMC government did not take care of making Bengal self-reliant in fish production was also raised by the national convener of the BJP’s Information Technology cell, Amit Malviya, in February.

In a post on X, he said that Bengal was turned into an import-dependent state in fish. “Fish is not just a food in Bengal – its culture, livelihood and identity,” he said.

Bengal second-highest fish producer: TMC

The TMC did not take the charges lying down. In a counter post on X, it said the BJP “rediscovered the economic, social, cultural and sentimental significance of fish in Bengali life” just ahead of the elections.

It also claimed Bengal is India’s second-highest fish producer after Andhra Pradesh.

Centre-state collision over PM fish scheme

The acrimonious relationship between the Centre and the West Bengal government has not spared the fishing sector. In December 2025, Union Minister of Fisheries Rajiv Ranjan Singh told the Lok Sabha that the state had little cared to implement the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) central scheme for fisheries for two years and spent only Rs 58.51 crore of the sanctioned amount of Rs 114 crore.

The PMMSY was launched by the Centre in 2020 to see an ecologically robust, economically viable and socially inclusive development of the fisheries sector and infrastructure in the country.

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The prime minister also mentioned the PMMSY, saying the TMC has a problem with the scheme since it has 'PM' in its name. Modi accused the local ruling party of not implementing the scheme fully in the state, making the common people suffer.

Recalling his favourite "double-engine government" slogan, the PM said once the BJP forms a government in the state, the central schemes will be fully executed, and the state will become self-sufficient in fish and seafood production.

While allegations of corruption, non-development, and misrule have been part of the BJP’s arsenal against the TMC, the crossing of swords over the fish adds another layer to the tussle between Modi and Mamata.