Kolkata, Feb. 22 -- In Bengal, the road to the ballot box may well pass through the fish market.

On a Sunday morning, the Bengali babu approaches his fishmonger with the seriousness of a policy analyst. He inspects the hilsa's silver armour, debates whether it is Padma-bred or merely well-travelled, and bargains with the intensity of a floor speech. Deals are struck, reputations defended, and the prized catch goes home wrapped in yesterday's headlines. In this state, fish is not a side dish. It is civilisational glue.

Fish has now swum to the centre of a full-blown political exchange ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in Bengal.

The row began after a viral clip of a BJP leader from Chinsurah suggested that if the party came to power, restrictions similar to those introduced in Bihar - where open sale of fish and meat has been regulated and licences mandated - could be implemented in Bengal. The leader later said the video was edited and that his remarks were about hygiene norms, not dietary bans. But in Bengal's charged climate, the distinction was quickly lost.

Recently, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee framed the issue as one of cultural autonomy, arguing that while vegetarianism deserves respect, it cannot dictate what a predominantly non-vegetarian state eats. The implication was unmistakable: the fish on the plate had become a symbol of political choice.

The spat revived memories of 2024, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised Opposition leaders for consuming non-vegetarian food during Navratri. Trinamool leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee, had responded by pointing to the centrality of fish and meat in many Bengali Hindu rituals during Durga Puja and Kali Puja.

The BJP has rejected suggestions of any impending ban, accusing the Trinamool of amplifying fear for electoral gain. Speaking at a debate held on Saturday at a renowned city club, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya argued that Bengal is far from self-sufficient in fish production. Despite its rivers, ponds, and coastline, he claimed, the state imports vast quantities annually - including from African countries such as Uganda and Mauritania - and questioned the state government's stewardship

of the sector.

The statistics make clear why the rhetoric resonates. West Bengal is India's second-largest fish-producing state; more than 80 per cent of households consume fish, and lakhs rely on fisheries

for livelihood.

And so, the hilsa swims on - from river to market, from ritual to rhetoric. In Bengal, even the most ordinary meal can become political theatre. This election, the fiercest contest may not just be for votes, but for the right to define what remains sacred on the

Bengali plate.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.