West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday offered prayers at the Kalighat Temple in Kolkata on the occasion of Kaushiki Amavasya and partook of the traditional fish bhog, bringing the ongoing debate over non-vegetarian food during religious festivals into sharp focus.Adhikari was served traditional temple bhog comprising basanti pulao, fried fish and fish head after offering prayers to Maa Kali. His participation came days after Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Krishna Shastri sparked a controversy by appealing to Bengali Hindus to avoid non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja.Putting all controversy at rest. CM Suvendu Adhikari is currently eating Kalighat Kali Maa’s Fish Bhog. Today is the final Amavasya and it’s a special day for us pic.twitter.com/rLIqwcWg3u— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) September 10, 2026Speaking to reporters after the prayers, Adhikari described Kaushiki Amavasya as a major occasion in Sanatan culture and said the festival was being observed with devotion at major temples across West Bengal, including Kalighat and Tarapith.“Today is Kaushiki Amavasya. Today is a very big day in our Sanatan culture, a major worship (Mahapuja). Whether it is Kalighat here or Tarapith there, it is happening simultaneously. State-level worship is being held in Tarapith. Here in Kalighat, all our lighting has been set up; it is an atmosphere of celebration throughout,” he said.On the non-veg controversy, Adhikari said religious practices and dietary choices could coexist with Bengali traditions. He said he observed a completely sattvik diet on Pushpanjali Ashtami and during Kartik month, but also accepted fish offered as bhog to Maa Kali as part of Bengali custom. He also said he accepted prasad from goat sacrifice.“Again, as a Bengali, I accept the bhog offered to Maa with fish. I also accept the prasad of goat sacrifice. Today, whatever was offered to Maa in the afternoon, the temple priests gave me the same. There was fish head and fried fish,” Adhikari said.He said Kolkata had a special spiritual significance, recalling its association with Maa Kali, Maa Durga, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Maa Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.“This is a spiritual land. It is the land of Ma Kali, the land of Ma Durga, the land of Thakur Ramakrishna Dev, the land of Ma Sarada Devi, the land of Swami Vivekananda, and the land of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,” he said.Adhikari also recalled seeking Maa Kali’s blessings when his name was declared in Bhawanipur.“Here on this grand festival of faith, Kaushiki Amavasya, I came today and offered prayers. When my name was declared in Bhawanipur, I first sought the blessings of the Mother (Ma). Mother had given me a lotus, and that same lotus bloomed across all of Bhawanipur,” he said.He prayed for the welfare and happiness of the people and said he would carry out the responsibilities entrusted to him with dedication.Meanwhile, devotees thronged the Tarapith Temple in Birbhum district to mark Kaushiki Amavasya, with elaborate worship and religious rituals being conducted on the occasion. The festival was observed on September 10 this year.The observance came days after Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, during his three-day Hanumant Katha programme in Howrah’s Liluah, appealed to Bengali Hindus to observe Navratri with devotion and sincerity.His remarks on non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja triggered a debate over religious practices and Bengali cultural traditions.  ANI inputs