Saying it with bhog

The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal after winning its first Assembly seat in the latest by-elections has prompted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to underline her Hindu credentials after facing stringent criticism for her overt and cynical wooing of the Muslim vote since she came to power. So, far from commiserating over the loss of Basirhat Dakshin, she decided to celebrate the Trinamool Congress' retention of the Chowringhee seat in a fittingly public manner. On Tuesday afternoon, soon after the results were declared, Banerjee called on Public Works Department officials to express her willingness to hold a "khichuri bhog" (a religious offering in the form of khichdi) on the occasion of Bishwakarma Puja. On Wednesday, therefore, the mood in Nabanna, the temporary state secretariat, was distinctly festive with PWD officials busy organising the puja.