Modi, Shah to Skip Mamata's Grand Mahalaya Event at Eden Gardens

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are likely to skip the West Bengal government's grand Mahalaya event scheduled to be held at the iconic Eden Gardens cricket stadium in Kolkata. The event, organized by the state government, was initially expected to be attended by PM Modi, according to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. However, latest reports indicate that both top central leaders will be absent, marking a significant snub to the state's mega celebration.

The Mahalaya event, which marks the beginning of the Durga Puja festivities, was projected as a major cultural gathering with political undertones. Chief Minister Adhikari had publicly stated that PM Modi was supposed to attend, raising expectations of a high-profile central presence. The likely absence of PM Modi and HM Shah comes amid escalating political tensions between the BJP-led central government and the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, especially after recent controversies over law and order and political violence in the state.

The decision to skip the event is being viewed as a strategic move by the central leadership to avoid sharing a platform with the state government, which could be seen as an endorsement of the TMC's governance. It also signals a continued hardline stance against the Mamata Banerjee-led administration. The development is likely to intensify political rhetoric in West Bengal, with the TMC accusing the Centre of disrespecting Bengali culture, while the BJP may counter by highlighting the state's failure to maintain law and order. The event will now proceed without the central leaders, and all eyes will be on the political fallout in the run-up to the 2026 assembly elections.