BJP MP’s Remarks on Prez, PM Trigger Row in WB

Kolkata: A major political controversy erupted in West Bengal amid the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls after BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Roy, popularly known as Ananta Maharaj, made highly inflammatory remarks targeting constitutional authorities.

Addressing a gathering of his supporters at Sitai in Coochbehar district on Saturday, Roy referred to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose as “Pakistani” and “Bangladeshi,” remarks that stunned even leaders within his own party.

Roy alleged that the ongoing SIR exercise could lead to bank accounts being frozen and welfare benefits denied if names were deleted from the voters’ list. He further claimed that detention camps would be set up to verify people’s origins, while accusing officials conducting the process of being foreigners themselves.

Reacting cautiously, West Bengal BJP president Sameek Bhattacharya said on Sunday that he was unaware of Roy’s remarks and declined to comment, adding that there was no link between the SIR and detention camps.

The Trinamul Congress seized upon the controversy to attack the BJP. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that Roy’s comments exposed a larger conspiracy to delete a substantial number of voters’ names during the SIR.

Meanwhile, political tensions intensified further after another Booth Level Officer (BLO) reportedly died by suicide, allegedly due to work pressure linked to the SIR. Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee criticised the BJP and the Election Commission of India, claiming that the hurried and politically motivated revision process had claimed several lives.

In a post on X, Banerjee alleged that over 50 people had died due to panic, exhaustion, and fear associated with the SIR exercise. He accused the Election Commission of acting under political pressure and said Bengal would not forget or forgive what he termed a “voter-cleansing operation.”