West Bengal Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari on Monday apologized for showing a distorted photo of Goddess Durga with 11 arms instead of the traditional 10 arms in a government advertisement. Along with this, he tried to end the controversy regarding this photo. In this case the opposition was continuously attacking the officer.
Addressing a coordination meeting with Durga Puja committees at the Milan Mela premises in Kolkata, Shubhendu Adhikari said those responsible for the advertisement have been warned and assured people that the government will be more vigilant in future.
What did the CM say in his apology?
He said, 'First of all, as the Chief Minister of the state, I apologize. A wrong advertisement was published this morning. I apologize for that. Those who had released that wrong advertisement have been warned. The government will be more careful in such matters in future.
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something vague in extra hand
Advertisements published in newspapers before the meeting showed Goddess Durga with 11 arms, with an additional hand holding some inexplicable object. The advertisement announced a coordination meeting organized by the Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in collaboration with the state information and cultural affairs department to discuss preparations for the upcoming celebrations of Durga Puja.
CPI(M) hit the target
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Shatarup Ghosh was among the first to raise the issue and hit out at the government over the depiction of the goddess. Ghosh said, 'The gods had given ten hands and weapons to Durga to kill the demon. The BJP government has given them an extra hand. Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh also criticized the BJP government.
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What did TMC say?
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh shared the picture of the advertisement, which had pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adhikari along with Devi's picture. He said, “Every day we hear about different types of rules of conduct. If the number of arms of Maa is increased in 2026, the matter may get complicated. Please immediately direct the concerned department not to tamper with the original form of Maa Durga.'
At the same time, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said that perhaps the agency that designed and published the advertisement had made this mistake. When asked about the controversy, Bhattacharya said, 'It can be fixed. This matter should not be politicized.