West Bengal’s Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, has sparked controversy by saying the BJP would “throw Muslim MLAs out of the assembly” if the party wins the 2026 state election. His comments came a day after BJP’s Haldia MLA Tapasi Mondal joined the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
“We will defeat Speaker Biman Banerjee and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. After the BJP assumes power, we will carry the Muslim MLAs of their party and throw them out of the House in another 10 months,” Adhikari said on Tuesday.
The TMC strongly criticized his statement, calling it “hate speech” and questioning his “mental stability.” Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “It’s dangerous, provocative, and depraved. To target MLAs from a specific community is against the Constitution and a criminal offence.”
Adhikari also accused the Mamata Banerjee government of religious bias, comparing it to the “second version of the Muslim League.” He claimed, “The people of Bengal will uproot them this time.”
The BJP leadership has not commented on Adhikari’s remarks. However, this is not the first time his statements have caused discomfort. After the BJP’s poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Adhikari rejected the party’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” slogan, saying, “I will say ‘Jo hamare saath, hum unke saath.’ We don’t need a minority morcha.”
Adhikari is currently suspended from the assembly until the end of the budget session for allegedly insulting the Speaker. Despite this, he continues to accuse the TMC government of being “communal” and has promised a larger protest outside the assembly.
