By CJP Team
Ganesh Chaturthi has traditionally represented community solidarity and celebration. The late nineteenth-century leadership of Lokmanya Tilak created a dynamic festival in Maharashtra that established a cultural space in which diverse caste, class, and faith groups engaged as fellow citizens and, ultimately, as a unity against colonial rule. Through the years, Ganesh Chaturthi also became a significant socio-cultural phenomenon within Maharashtra and other states, with the oft visited pandals becoming known for their innovation and engagement. Similarly, Durga Puja also emerged as a platform for social statements in Bengal, eventually leading to a swath of pandals emerging in the 1970s and 1980s to promote ideas around women’s rights, literacy, poverty, public health, and commonality.
As political power shifted and the presence of an aggressive exclusion-driven right-wing party emerged, these ideas of inclusion slowly vanished also from the community-driven Ganesh Chaturthi. Nowhere is this more evident than this year, 2025. Turning turtle on the tradition of social commentary which was essentially progressive, the 10-day long festivities were exploited by Hindutva groups in various municipalities to manufacture a sense of othering, even hate. Political power has always dominated these community expressions, with the dominant political force, “capturing” the dozens of “Ganpati mandals.” This year, Hindutva groups engaged in furthering their central political agenda by promoting conspiracy theories about “love jihad,” conversions, and fears of demographic change. All this under the garb of cultural and religious devotion.
Some key incidents from the Ganesh Chaturthi 2025 celebrations:
Bangalore, Karnataka
On August 3, in Bangalore, a Hindutva leader by the name of Mohan Gouda uttered remarks at a gathering, under the pretext of encouraging people to celebrate participation in the Ganesh festival, but his comments soon took a turn towards the communal. Gouda said people should attend this festival, but also advocated for a supposed “Hindu Rashtra” merging the religious celebration into a political-religious ideology. He argued that English medium education was a tool to segregate Hindus from their culture, claiming it intended to “make Hindus mentally Christian.” He evoked the theme of “love jihad” again, as well as conversions happening systematically, arguing that these conspiracies were detrimental to Hindus and Hindu society.
Through video and social clips being distributed on HindutvaWatch’s Telegram channel- and reproduced on both Facebook and Instagram- you can hear his comments and witness his ridiculous claims first-hand. He states: “English medium education was introduced to separate Hindus from their culture and make them mentally Christian.”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1500184164616512
His remarks are more than mere political rhetoric at a festival; they turn a moment of religious observance into a statement of political exclusion. Gouda’s comments convey to worshippers that it is a particular religious identity that delineates loyalty, and that any existence/involvement of minorities in that moment is a form of “internal threat.”
Kota, Rajasthan
On August 27, a flashpoint erupted in Kota’s Vigyan Nagar over a local non-vegetarian restaurant that posted wishes for Ganesh Chaturthi along with pictures of its menu. Activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) – Bajrang Dal saw the post and descended on the location, accused the place of promoting religious enmity, and claimed that by associating images of Ganesh with its non-vegetarian food, they were hurting the sentiments of Hindus. The municipal authorities, clearly under duress, arrived on-site and soon sealed off the restaurant!
Clarion India reported the incident via HindutvaWatch, which added further details to what had unfolded. According to Clarion, a restaurant owner and two others were arrested and police confirmed that the person responsible for preparing the poster, the restaurant, and the person preparing the posters for printing had all been detained. A minor was also detained for allegedly posting the content but was later let go. Regarding the arrest, Kota City Superintendent of Police, Tejaswini Gautam, stated the case is being handled with seriousness and assured that compliance with the law would occur and that everyone accused except the minor would be charged in accordance with the appropriate legal statues. Clarion also reported that during the protest, workers prayed the Hanuman Chalisa in front of the restaurant site and requested justice until police intervened.
None from the media have queried the police authorities about which law has been violated in posting or conceiving an image with Ganesh Chaturthi with a non-vegetarian menu. On the contrary, the right to life and right to do business freely (Article 21 and Article 19) of the restaurant owner stand violated.
This story was originally published in sabrangindia.in. Read the full story here.