How the Tulsi Plant Became the BJP's Newest Divisive Emblem in Bengal

Maheshtala: Less than a year before West Bengal's assembly election, the humble basil or tulsi plant has unexpectedly become a central symbol in the state's political theatre. From household courtyards to the heart of violent communal clashes and political protests, the basil has emerged as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) latest divisive symbol to consolidate Hindu votes.

In recent months, a series of incidents of communal violence across the state have once again pushed the politics of religious identity and division to the forefront. From central Bengal's Mothabari (Malda district) and Samsherganj (Murshidabad district) to northern Bengal's Matigara (Darjeeling district), and now Maheshtala near Kolkata (South 24 Parganas), clashes have erupted in a clear sequence.

Almost all these clashes bear the hallmarks of pre-planning. In the aftermath of Maheshtala incident, BJP, West Bengal's primary opposition, turned the Tulsi plant into a strategic protest symbol, using its saplings in their political campaigns.

While protests in Murshidabad initially focused on the Waqf Amendment Act before spiralling into violence, the trigger in Maheshtala could be termed as trivial. On June 11, fruit vendor Sheikh Julet returned from Eid celebrations to find his decades-old cart in front of a temple was now replaced by a tulsi shrine, erected overnight. What began as a verbal dispute quickly escalated into hours of violence, injuring dozens and leaving properties ablaze. Shopkeepers and residents allege they repeatedly reached out to the police as the situation worsened, but law enforcement's response was slow and inadequate. 

Also read: Bengal’s Murshidabad Tense After Violence Kills Three, BJP Blames Mamata for ‘Communal Flare-Up'

“Violence erupted from 11 am to 3 pm. Stones were pelted, houses along Santoshpur Road were vandalised and set on fire. Though it was right in front of the police station, the police arrived only after 4 pm,” local shopkeeper Abdul Majid said, days after the violence took place.

“Even when the Tulsi altar was being vandalised by miscreants, the police remained silent. A fruit vendor could have been relocated beforehand. Building religious altars on footpaths isn’t right either,” added another local vendor Binoy Dhar.

Many locals told The Wire that the fact that a dispute over encroaching on a footpath could be escalated to an instantaneous gathering of hundreds of highly aggressive crowds strongly suggests the possibility that the incident was pre-planned, and not a spontaneous outburst.

CCTV footage of people at Maheshtala. Photo: By arrangement.

The police response to escalating violence, mirroring incidents in Malda and Murshidabad, was notably passive. Despite being seemingly capable of quelling the unrest, officers, locals say, stood by for hours. 

Residents allege the shrine was installed by Harimohan Singh, a local strongman with Trinamool Congress ties, and was guarded by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker Brijmohan. It remains unclear why police, stationed a stone's throw away, permitted its installation.

“The police’s inaction and biased role took the situation to an extreme. Such a grave act being carried out right in front of the police station, and yet the police remained silent – that’s completely unacceptable. Harimohan had been with us for so long – I have no idea how he ended up siding with them!” said Abdul Khaleque Molla, the TMC MLA of the Metiabruz assembly constituency.

From Nepal on social media, Harimohan denied the allegations, claiming he was framed and had previously warned party leaders of potential conflict. "A day before the incident took place, I travelled to Nepal with my family. I am hearing that my house and shop have been vandalised. I left active politics three years ago. I maintain good relations with MP Abhishek Banerjee [TMC second-in-command and Mamata Banerjee's nephew]. I knew that on the occasion of Ekadashi [the eleventh lunar day on the Vedic almanac] a Tulsi Manch would be established there. I don't support the removal of the fruit-seller's cart. I had feared conflict and led police and leaders know. But I have now been framed myself," he wrote.

Rabindranagar, the site of the violence, lies within the Metiabruz-Maheshtala belt, an area with a significant population engaged in garment manufacturing. The Metiabruz assembly constituency, part of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha Constituency, is a minority-dominated area and has remained a TMC stronghold.

Police investigations confirmed the premeditated character of the incident. Following the unrest, police arrested 42 people. Among them were five RSS functionaries, including Nabin Chandra Roy, a known face in earlier Ram Navami processions. In a late-night bust in Budge Budge on June 12, authorities seized bomb-making materials including sodium powder, aluminium dust, and phosphorus.

Speaking to the media, Diamond Harbour additional superintendent of police Mithun De said, “Operational lapses occurred on the part of the police. The investigation unequivocally demonstrated that a radical religious organisation had meticulously orchestrated this incident.”

Following the clashes, the BJP staged a symbolic protest in West Bengal by carrying tulsi plants into the state assembly, drawing a sharp reaction from chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Banerjee said, “A fruit vendor went home to celebrate a festival, and you planted a holy tulsi plant in its place, insulting it? We offer tulsi to Lord Jagannath and Lord Krishna. If you wanted to plant tulsi, why didn’t you do so in your own house?” 

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar faced resistance from TMC supporters who demonstrated in front of his convoy during his visit to Maheshtala. Despite the hostile reception, Majumdar offered prayers at a local temple and inspected a tulsi manch near the market in the area.

“Hindus are being attacked by jihadi elements in places like Maheshtala and Murshidabad and police remain mute spectators at the behest of the ruling party. When we visit the areas to express solidarity with Hindus, we are attacked by rowdies sheltered by TMC,” alleged Majumdar.

The 2026 West Bengal election is shaping up against the backdrop of the creation of the Hindutva identity as the BJP’s most prominent campaign tool. "The BJP has now launched direct political messaging around the tulsi plant, seeking to leverage it as a symbol of Hindu faith in its outreach. This is not an isolated incident, but the result of calculated planning at all levels of the BJP leadership – from Narendra Modi to Suvendu Adhikari,” said political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty.

Translated from the Bengali and with inputs by Aparna Bhattacharya.

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