BJP state president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar virtually sounded the bugle for the 2026 Assembly elections at Gangasagar on the auspicious Makar Sankranti day, where he took the dip. Rejecting the TMC’s demand to declare the Gangasagar Mela a national fair, he announced that only if the BJP state president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar virtually sounded the bugle for the 2026 Assembly elections at Gangasagar on the auspicious Makar Sankranti day, where he took the dip. Rejecting the TMC’s demand to declare the Gangasagar Mela a national fair, he announced that only if the BJP comes to power in Bengal will the Gangasagar Mela receive national fair status. He accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee of engaging in politics over Gangasagar.

“We requested the BDO to approve four gates featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, but the request was denied. Yet Mamata is asking the Centre to recognise it as a national fair. Such hypocrisy!” he said. After performing rituals at Kapil Muni’s temple, Mr Majumdar symbolically beat a drum and said, “I prayed for the establishment of a Ram government, a Ganga government, and a Hindu government in Bengal.” Addressing the construction of a bridge over the Muriganga river, he remarked, “The state must properly approach the Centre. Tell Mamata to show the necessary paperwork, and I will take her to the Prime Minister.”

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Recently, Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of unequal treatment, claiming, “In some places, there’s a flood of funds, while in others, not even a trickle. The Gangasagar Mela is no less significant than the Kumbh Mela.” TMC has been vocal about the Centre’s discriminatory behaviour, while BJP argues that the state is politicising the matter instead of coordinating with the Centre. On Makar Sankranti, devotees gather at two ends of the country – at the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh and the Gangasagar Mela in West Bengal. While the Centre provided extensive support for the Kumbh Mela, no similar steps were taken for Gangasagar, leading to criticism. For years, Mamata Banerjee’s government has demanded national status for the Gangasagar fair, but the Modi government has yet to take any action.

The Centre’s advertisements highlighted extensive arrangements for the Kumbh Mela, including 6,000 hospital beds, 1.5 lakh toilets, and over 7,000 special buses. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government managed the entire Gangasagar Mela using its own funds, arranging over 2,500 buses, 21 jetties, 32 vessels, 7 million water pouches, 12,000 temporary toilets, air and water ambulances, 130-bed makeshift hospitals, and more.

Mamata Banerjee emphasised that Gangasagar Mela is in no way inferior to the Kumbh Mela. In this context, the tussle between TMC and BJP over the fair has intensified. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh stated, “People from all over India come to Gangasagar. It deserves national fair status, but the Centre is behaving in a discriminatory manner.” In contrast, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya argued, “It’s not enough for TMC to merely make demands; they must coordinate with the Centre. The state is trying to keep politics alive, even in matters like this.” comes to power in Bengal will the Gangasagar Mela receive national fair status. He accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee of engaging in politics over Gangasagar.

“We requested the BDO to approve four gates featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, but the request was denied. Yet Mamata is asking the Centre to recognise it as a national fair. Such hypocrisy!” he said. After performing rituals at Kapil Muni’s temple, Mr Majumdar symbolically beat a drum and said, “I prayed for the establishment of a Ram government, a Ganga government, and a Hindu government in Bengal.” Addressing the construction of a bridge over the Muriganga river, he remarked, “The state must properly approach the Centre. Tell Mamata to show the necessary paperwork, and I will take her to the Prime Minister.”

Recently, Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of unequal treatment, claiming, “In some places, there’s a flood of funds, while in others, not even a trickle. The Gangasagar Mela is no less significant than the Kumbh Mela.” TMC has been vocal about the Centre’s discriminatory behaviour, while BJP argues that the state is politicising the matter instead of coordinating with the Centre. On Makar Sankranti, devotees gather at two ends of the country – at the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh and the Gangasagar Mela in West Bengal. While the Centre provided extensive support for the Kumbh Mela, no similar steps were taken for Gangasagar, leading to criticism. For years, Mamata Banerjee’s government has demanded national status for the Gangasagar fair, but the Modi government has yet to take any action.

The Centre’s advertisements highlighted extensive arrangements for the Kumbh Mela, including 6,000 hospital beds, 1.5 lakh toilets, and over 7,000 special buses. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government managed the entire Gangasagar Mela using its own funds, arranging over 2,500 buses, 21 jetties, 32 vessels, 7 million water pouches, 12,000 temporary toilets, air and water ambulances, 130-bed makeshift hospitals, and more.

Mamata Banerjee emphasised that Gangasagar Mela is in no way inferior to the Kumbh Mela. In this context, the tussle between TMC and BJP over the fair has intensified. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh stated, “People from all over India come to Gangasagar. It deserves national fair status, but the Centre is behaving in a discriminatory manner.” In contrast, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya argued, “It’s not enough for TMC to merely make demands; they must coordinate with the Centre. The state is trying to keep politics alive, even in matters like this.”