‘Joy Maa Kali’: PM’s letter signals BJP’s Bengal poll rebrand

Kolkata: "Joy Maa Kali" —Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter sent out to Bengal voters ahead of assembly polls begins with this greeting, marking a deliberate shift in BJP's political messaging as the party attempts to shed its "outsider" tag in the state.

Until recently, BJP's Bengal campaigns maintained "Jai Shree Ram" chants popular in northern and western India. The shift to "Joy Maa Kali" and "Joy Maa Durga" is part of the saffron party's effort to align with Bengal's sociocultural ethos. The shift is evident across BJP campaigns.


On Sunday, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta opened her address at a BJP Mahila Morcha meeting in Kolkata expressing adulation for Maa Durga. "You must invoke the power of Durga within yourselves to protect your honour. No one else will do it for you," she told women supporters, referencing the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder and the Durgapur medical college rape.

Union minister Annapurna Devi, who also spoke at the event, concluded her speech with praise for Maa Durga and Maa Tara. Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari praised Ganga Mata and Maa Tara, signalling a departure from BJP's Ram-centric narrative.

The messaging shift began after Samik Bhattacharya became state BJP chief. He has sought to incorporate Bengal's own icons into the party's narrative.

Rekha Gupta's comments drew a sharp response from Trinamool senior Shashi Panja, who said: "She should explain her own failures—from terror attacks to AQI." Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson, said: "She should explain why she was addressing so many empty chairs today. BJP should explain why the party garlands rapists and killers and why convicted rapists are repeatedly granted bail."