BJP uneasy over Suvendu’s remarks, fears Muslim alienation may backfire in Bengal

Suvendu Adhikari’s derogatory remarks against Muslims and his alleged attempts to position himself as the protector of Hindus in Bengal have reportedly raised eyebrows within the BJP, with a section of leaders worried about the electoral consequences of such comments.

"Many senior leaders in the Bengal BJP are uncomfortable with Adhikari’s derogatory remarks against Muslims and fear the ultimate electoral outcome of maligning the community so blatantly in an attempt to consolidate Hindu votes. What works elsewhere has almost never worked in Bengal," said a BJP insider. This person emphasized that not a single senior leader has agreed to officially comment on Adhikari’s latest slur against Muslims, who make up at least 30% of Bengal’s population.

The only person who has openly defended Adhikari’s honor is Shankar Ghosh, the chief whip of the opposition in the assembly. Ghosh was formerly with the CPM and is currently the BJP MLA from Siliguri. A state BJP official stated that the party (at least on paper) is committed to secularism, and one of its five guiding principles—Panch Nishtha—is: “Sarva Dharma Sambhav, commitment to positive secularism.” He added, “BJP is strongly against minority appeasement, but not against minorities. Deliberately alienating one-third of Bengal’s voters will not serve our purpose.” The leader further questioned, “Besides, who appointed (Adhikari) as the protector of all Hindus in Bengal? Why is there always so much arrogance about him and only him… not about the party or Narendra Modi?”

On Tuesday, the Leader of the Opposition had said, “The Muslim MLAs who win and come here—when the BJP forms the government—we will grab them by their hands and feet and throw them onto the streets! Ten months later, we will throw them out on the same streets!” On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned this remark, accusing him of importing a “fake” version of Hinduism that is foreign to Bengal. Once a secular and pluralistic figure in the Trinamool Congress for over two decades, Adhikari has increasingly embraced communal rhetoric since defecting to the BJP in December 2020. Last July, Adhikari proposed changing Prime Minister Modi’s slogan Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas to Jo Hamare Saath, Hum Unke Saath and suggested dissolving the BJP’s Minority Morcha.

When turmoil escalated in Bangladesh, Adhikari saw it as an opportunity to consolidate Hindu votes through polarization, repeatedly claiming to be the voice of all Hindus in Bengal. However, many influential factions within the BJP—both in Bengal and Delhi—are convinced by Adhikari’s experiment. “This is the only way we can increase our vote share by 3-4%, which is essential for us to gain power in Bengal. Last summer, our 38.73% vote share was entirely Hindu. He (Adhikari) is on the right track,” said a BJP leader who claims to maintain equal distance from the main factions in the state unit. Despite extensive discussions at the "highest levels" in Delhi, no clear attempt has been made to rein in Adhikari. Currently, BJP MPs from Bengal, including state president Sukanta Majumdar, are in Delhi for the ongoing parliamentary session.

The leader added, “This will only change when we find an alternative that you may consider outdated and hateful, but we see as fearsome and effective—the weapon of polarization.” Trinamool Congress sources indicated that their top leaders are “pleased” with Adhikari’s approach, as it has almost secured their victory in over 120 of the 294 assembly seats—where minorities play a decisive role in electoral outcomes—even before a single vote has been cast. “On the other hand, look at us. Suvendu complained yesterday (Wednesday) about our (Bharatpur MLA) Humayun Kabir’s so-called threatening remarks against him. Today, Humayun has been ruthlessly served a show-cause notice by the party. The BJP complained about (minister) Siddiqullah Chowdhury’s remarks, and he was personally warned by the top leadership not to repeat such statements,” said a senior treasury bench member.

Following the show-cause notice and the reported warning, further drama unfolded in the assembly on Thursday. BJP MLAs staged a walkout after Speaker Biman Banerjee rejected their demand for a discussion on Kabir and Chowdhury’s allegedly "threatening" remarks against Adhikari. TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh highlighted the action taken by his party and pointed out that there was not even a single statement from the BJP dismissing Adhikari’s comments. “Forget condemnation or punitive action—did anyone from the party even make a single statement distancing themselves from Adhikari’s remarks?” he asked.