The speech and the full incident

On Tuesday, March 11, Suvendu Adhikari, speaking to reporters outside the West Bengal Assembly, accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of being a “communal administration” and likened it to “Muslim League 2.” He went further, stating that if the BJP comes to power in 2026, they would remove all Muslim MLAs of the TMC from the assembly. His remarks, laced with communal undertones, sparked immediate outrage, with many terming it a direct attack on constitutional democracy.

The controversy erupted just a day after BJP’s Haldia MLA Tapasi Mondal defected to the TMC. The TMC swiftly condemned Adhikari’s remarks, with spokesperson Kunal Ghosh calling them “dangerous, provocative, and depraved.” Ghosh further stated, “In Parliament or state assemblies, there can be debate and arguments. But to rake up religion and target MLAs belonging to a specific community is contrary to the principles of the Constitution. It’s also a criminal offence.” The state BJP, however, remained silent, neither endorsing nor disowning the comments.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of Adhikari’s suspension from the assembly until March 18, 2025 for allegedly insulting the Speaker’s chair. Earlier in the day, BJP MLAs had staged a protest inside the assembly, tearing official documents after the Speaker denied their adjournment motion over alleged attacks on Hindu temples. The Speaker, Biman Bandyopadhyay, in response, directed the assembly secretary not to provide BJP legislators with any further documents related to House proceedings.

In a further escalation, Adhikari and his party members staged a demonstration outside the assembly, alleging that the ruling party was suppressing the opposition’s voice. He claimed that Hindus were being attacked in various districts of Bengal, that Hindu shop owners and houses had been set on fire, and that the state police were acting in a communal manner by restricting Holi celebrations on March 14, as it coincided with a Friday prayer day. He alleged that in Birbhum district’s Santiniketan, police had instructed people to finish Holi celebrations by 11 AM due to Friday prayers. He also claimed that in Uluberia, those celebrating India’s victory in the Champions Trophy were attacked, with even a local police officer being injured. Adhikari framed these incidents as proof that the TMC government was catering to Muslim interests at the cost of Hindus, further inflaming communal sentiments.

Inciting hate, undermining the Constitution

Adhikari’s statement is not merely hate speech—it is a direct assault on the constitutional framework of India. The Constitution guarantees equal rights and representation to all citizens, irrespective of religion. His words suggest an intention to exclude a specific religious community from legislative representation, violating the core tenets of democracy and secularism. Article 14 (equality before the law) and Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination based on religion) are fundamental principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution, and Adhikari’s remarks trample upon them with shocking impunity.

This is not an isolated instance of Adhikari’s communal rhetoric. His earlier dismissal of BJP’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ slogan, replaced with a divisive “Jo hamare saath, hum unke saath” (We are with those who are with us), was a clear indication of his supremacist ideology. Such statements, if left unchecked, normalise religious discrimination and stoke communal polarisation.

A case for immediate action

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has rightly condemned Adhikari’s comments as “dangerous, provocative, and depraved.” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responded strongly, condemning Adhikari’s remarks as a blatant attempt to sow communal discord. “This is not just hate speech, this is an open threat to democracy. Bengal will never accept such divisive politics. I challenge him to try and throw out a single MLA—he will see the power of the people’s mandate,” she said.

Given the gravity of his statements, mere condemnation is insufficient. Adhikari was earlier suspended from the assembly for the remainder of the budget session due to his misconduct, but this latest episode warrants far more serious consequences.

1. Legal action: His remarks could potentially be prosecuted under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
2. Expulsion from the Assembly: The West Bengal Legislative Assembly must consider a more severe disciplinary measure—either extending his suspension indefinitely or expelling him altogether. The Speaker has the authority to take such action in cases of grave misconduct.
3. BJP’s accountability: The silence of the state BJP leadership on this matter is deeply telling. If the party does not dissociate itself from Adhikari’s remarks and take internal disciplinary action, it is complicit in endorsing such unconstitutional rhetoric.

A dangerous precedent

If Adhikari is allowed to get away with such statements, it sets a dangerous precedent for Indian politics. Normalising calls for religious exclusion from legislative bodies not only weakens democracy but also emboldens other leaders to follow suit. West Bengal has a long history of communal harmony, and allowing such hate speech to fester threatens the social fabric of the state.

India cannot afford to treat such explicit communal threats as mere political rhetoric. There must be an unequivocal rejection of these unconstitutional utterances, backed by swift legal and parliamentary action. Anything less would be a failure to defend the democratic ideals upon which the nation stands.

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The post WB LoP Suvendu Adhikari’s open call for Muslim-free assembly from the Assembly must be met with action, not silence appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Suvendu Adhikari was inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bengal today by none other than Amit Shah. But Adhiari wasn’t the only one to switch sides.

At a rally in Paschim Medinipur, attended by the BJP top brass including national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, and other important leaders such as Mukul Roy, Rahul Sinha and Saumitra Khan, the BJP welcomed into its fold: one Member of Parliament (MP), nine Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA), one ex-Minister, one Minister of State, 15 councillors, 45 chairman and 2 Zila Panchayat officials from other parties including the TMC, Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

Addressing the rally Shah fired his first salvo against TMC Founder and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying, “Didi accuses BJP of encouraging people to switch parties. But tell me this… which was your original party?” Banerjee had left the Congress to set up the TMC. “This is just the beginning. By the time of the election, you will be left all alone,” Shah warned Banerjee.

He accused Banerjee of failing to uphold her own “Ma, maati, maanush” (Mother, soil, people) slogan by slipping into corruption, appeasement and nepotism. “All you care about is making your nephew the next Chief Minister,” accused Shah. He further accused her of depriving people from benefits of social schemes such as direct bank transfers and health insurance.

He then went on to talk about the attack on BJP president JP Nadda’s convoy on December 10 saying, “If you think throwing stones is going to scare us, remember, the more violent you get, the louder our opposition to you will get.” He accused TMC cadres of killing 300 BJP party workers.

“You gave 30 years to the Congress, over 20 years to the Communist Party and 10 years to TMC. About time you gave BJP at least five years, so we can make Bengal ‘Sonar Bangla’. Let’s root out the TMC,” urged Shah before ending with chants of “Jai Shree Ram” and “Vande Mataram”.

Earlier in the day, Shah had visited the Ramkrishna Ashram in Kolkata and visited the home of Swami Vivekananda. He also claimed to have had lunch at a peasant’s home that was offered to the peasant due to the PM’s housing scheme and with no help from the state government.

Two things are noteworthy here; Midnapore or Medinipur has a huge Muslim population and the community is viewed as a traditional vote bank of the TMC, with Banerjee regularly accused of appeasing Muslims. Secondly, the loss of Suvendu Adhikari is a huge blow to the TMC given how influential he is among various levels of the party’s cadres. In fact, TMC MP Sunil Mondal and five sitting MLAs from TMC also left the party and joined BJP within days of Adhikari’s exit.

With assembly elections scheduled to take place next year, the battle for Bengal is only going to get hotter.

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