Why is there no holiday on Makar Sankranti in state, Adhikari asks govt

Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari Monday accused the ruling TMC of “appeasement politics” by declaring a holiday for ‘Shab-e-Barat’ but not for Makar Sankranti and Ram Navami. In a post on X, Adhikari wrote, “The Queen of Appeasement Politics – Mamata Banerjee, strikes again… Even in Pakistan there is no public holiday for Shab-e-Barat. The festival is categorised in the List of Optional Holidays. And, there is no additional option to opt for a holiday on Monday as this time around Shab-e-Barat is going to be celebrated on Sunday.”

“However in West Bengal there is no public holiday for Makar Sankranti & Ram Navami, but there is a provision for an extra holiday on the next day of Shab-e-Barat,” he wrote.

Reacting to his allegations, TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said, “In India, there are many religious rituals.

All rituals are not observed in equal manner in all states…A holiday is declared during Chhath in Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand but none in other states. Is it appeasement politics? Suvendu Adhikari said this because of his lack of knowledge (about religious rituals). People should not take this seriously.”