Kolkata: Amid the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) preparations to sanitize the voters' list in West Bengal, Ranaghat BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar has triggered a huge controversy, leaving his party stumped.
In a viral video clip, Mr Sarkar was recorded to have claimed that the border between India and Bangladesh would cease to exist if BJP comes to power in the upcoming Assembly Election in the state.
The video surfaced on a day ruling Trinamul Congress announced its supremo Mamata Banerjee would lead a protest rally against the SIR in the city on November 4.
In the video, Mr Sarkar is seen telling a BJP rally at Krishnaganj block in Nadia on October 30, "We are making a promise. If we win this time, we will not keep the fence of barbed wires anymore with Bangladesh. We were one earlier and will become one again." Trinamul Congress slammed his remark.
Posting the video on X-handle on Saturday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee's MP nephew Abhishek Banerjee alleged, "The HYPOCRISY of the BJP leadership has fallen to new depths. @BJP4India MP from Ranaghat, Jagannath Sarkar declares that if the BJP COMES TO POWER, there will be no borders between INDIA AND BANGLADESH- both nations will become ONE again!"
He pointed out, "On the other hand, the same BJP government including @HMOIndia Amit Shah keeps blaming the West Bengal government for not giving land to "PROTECT" the very BORDERS THEIR OWN MP WANTS TO ERASE! If the BJP truly believes in the nation's integrity, I challenge @BJP4India @JPNadda to suspend this MP immediately. Their silence will only expose that HE SPOKE WITH THE FULL CONSENT OF TOP LEADERSHIP."
Mr Banerjee added, "This is not nationalism - this is deception. Fooling and humiliating the people of West Bengal in the name of "SIR" has become the BJP's trademark politics - A dangerous mix of hypocrisy and betrayal! Look at their own words and decide who's fooling Bengal."
Caught on the wrong foot, Mr Sarkar later hit back at the TMC national general secretary and issued a clarification which however deepened the controversy further. He said, "Mr Banerjee wanted to know from union home minister Amit Shah and our party president JP Nadda about the purpose behind my comments after failing to grasp its meaning. It was a golden Bengal when united. If BJP comes to power, development will happen in Bengal."
The BJP MP added, "Then Bangladesh, which does not have food to eat, will also want to get out of religious fanaticism to unite with India for food and clothes. Thus, there will be no fence of barbed wires. That's what I meant."