Humayun Kabir welcomes end of religion-based allowances, demands withdrawal of Puja grants

Humayun Kabir, MLA and Founder-Chairman of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party, on Monday welcomed the West Bengal government’s decision to discontinue religion-based allowance schemes and simultaneously demanded that grants provided for Puja celebrations also be withdrawn. Reacting to the Cabinet decision, Humayun Kabir stated that allowances do not constitute holistic development and said that granting special privileges on the basis of religion was not desirable.

The decision followed a major announcement made by Minister for Women and Child Development Agnimitra Paul after the Cabinet meeting held under the leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. During a press conference, the minister announced that all assistance schemes administered through the Department of Information and Culture and the Department of Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education based on religious categorization would be discontinued. The announcement effectively ended allowance schemes for Imams, Muezzins, and Priests that had been introduced during the previous government.

Before the Assembly elections, the BJP had campaigned with the slogan “Not allowances, but food” and had pledged to focus on employment generation and governance reforms. During the previous regime, the BJP had repeatedly criticised religion-based allowance schemes, alleging that such measures promoted appeasement politics and placed financial pressure on the state economy. Following the latest Cabinet decision, Humayun Kabir reiterated that no community should receive special financial benefits on religious grounds and stated that Puja grants should also be discontinued.