Calling Ramakrishna Swami reflects insensitivity, Mamata reacts to PM’s social media post
The Hindu
Mamata Banerjee criticizes PM Modi for cultural insensitivity in referring to Ramakrishna Paramhamsa as 'Swami' on social media.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (February 19, 2026) took a strong exception to the post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring Ramakrishna Paramhamsa as ‘Swami’. In a post on the social media platform X the Prime Minister offered tributes to the spiritual master on his birth anniversary and addressed him as ‘Swami Ramakrishna’
स्वामी रामकृष्ण परमहंस जी को उनकी जन्म-जयंती पर आदरपूर्ण श्रद्धांजलि। उन्होंने अध्यात्म और साधना को जिस प्रकार जीवनशक्ति के रूप में स्थापित किया, वह हर युग में मानवता का कल्याण करता रहेगा। उनके सुविचार और संदेश सदैव प्रेरणापुंज बने रहेंगे।
“Shocked again! Yet again, our Prime Minister aggressively displays his cultural insensitivity to great figures of Bengal. Today is the janmatithi of Yugavatara [God’s incarnation in our age] Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsadeva. While trying to hail the great saint on this occasion, our PM added an unprecedented and improper prefix to the great saint’s name, “Swami”!,” the Chief Minister posted, highlighting the post by the Prime Minister.
Shocked again!Yet again, our Prime Minister aggressively displays his cultural insensitivity to great figures of Bengal. Today is the janmatithi of Yugavatara (God's incarnation in our age) Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsadeva. While trying to hail the great saint on this… https://t.co/f7GqFkbcHy
Ramakrishna Paramhansa is not only revered but also worshipped as an incarnation of God by people across the country particularly in West Bengal and is referred as Thakur (God). The prefix of Swami is usually used to refer to Swami Vivekanandaa and other monastic disciples of Ramakrishna as well as the monks of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
The West Bengal Chief Minister highlighted this point and explained on her post that “while his ascetic disciples constituted the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission after their Master’s demise, and those monks were then called “Swami” as per Indian traditions, the Master, the Acharya, himself continued to be referred to as Thakur “.
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Mamata Banerjee criticizes PM Modi for cultural insensitivity in referring to Ramakrishna Paramhamsa as 'Swami' on social media.
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