Not only Hindus, need nationalist Muslims as well, says new Bengal BJP chief

Hindustan Times

12 hours ago

Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s new West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya on Sunday urged the 'open-minded, progressive, nationalist Muslims' to join hands with the party in the upcoming state polls to counter radicalisation and the 'silent war to change the demographic character of India'— a statement that invited sharp reaction from the ruling Trinamool Congress. BJP West Bengal President Samik Bhattacharya garlands a bust of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on his birth anniversary in Kolkata on Sunday. (ANI)
'Radicalisation has spread everywhere but nobody can split Bengal again. A silent war is on since the 80's to change the demographic character of India. To counter this, we need not only Hindus but nationalist Muslims as well. The coming election is a test for Bengal's open-minded, progressive, nationalist Muslims,' Bhattacharya said, paying tribute to party ideologue Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, whose contribution in creation of West Bengal during Partition is hailed by the saffron camp, on his birth anniversary.
Earlier on July 3, minutes after being declared president of the state unit, Bhattacharya had said: 'We need to protect and nurture the pluralistic character of West Bengal. Let Muharram and Durga puja immersion processions take place together. Muslims need to understand that BJP is not against them. We are only against those who have picked up stones and swords. We want to put books and pens in their hands instead.'
'Don't vote for the BJP if you think it is untouchable but face the mirror. At least 90 % of the people killed in clashes in recent years in Bengal were Muslims,' he had added.
TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar on Sunday hit out at Bhattacharya. 'Bhattacharya has come up with a new recipe. He is trying to reach out to not only the Muslims but to the Left and Congress as well. One of his party leaders has taken the opposite line. The elections will be over by the time BJP clears its confusion. It will be left with no seats,' he said.
He was referring to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, who has been prescribing since January that his party should ignore Muslims and focus entirely on Hindu votes for the 2026 polls– a view that has not been endorsed by the BJP national leadership.
The Congress also slammed Bhattacharya over his remark. Former state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, 'BJP's appeal to the Muslims is a tactical move. Their real target is to form a Hindu rashtra (nation) where Muslims will be treated as secondary citizens.'
The BJP has been alleging for years that TMC chairperson and chief minister Mamata Banerjee allows illegal Bangladeshi migrants to settle down only to secure their votes. The party has focused on this narrative ever since crackdown on alleged illegal migrants began in BJP-ruled states a few months ago.
According to surveys done by all parties, Muslim, who comprise around 30% of the state's population and are widely seen as the TMC's vote bank, play a decisive role in at least 120 of Bengal's 294 assembly seats, of which BJP could win only 75 in 2021. BJP fielded nine Muslim candidates but none could win. TMC, on the other hand, has 42 Muslim MLAs.
Described as BJP's 'official party line' by state leaders, including former state president Sukanta Majumdar, Bhattacharya's strategy is being seen as a move to encourage Muslims to vote against TMC rather than for BJP.
'Not all Muslims are happy with the TMC regime. Lack of local employment forces millions of them to look for work in other states. Bhattarcharya's appeal may create a split in Muslim votes. Even if these votes go to the Left or Congress, BJP will be the ultimate beneficiary,' a senior state BJP leader said, requesting anonymity.
He cited examples such as Murshidabad district, where Muslims comprise 66.28 % of the population, the state's highest, Congress won the Sagardighi assembly bypoll in 2023. TMC had to make the winner switch camps months later. In 2021, Muslims helped Nawsad Siddiqui's Indian Secular Front win the Bhangar seat in North 24 Parganas.
'In the recent assembly bypoll at Nadia district's Kaliganj, Muslim families that voted for CPI(M) were targeted by TMC workers. A 10-year-old child died in a bomb attack. TMC is wary about the minority community,' the leader added.
Accusing the BJP of selectively targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims from her state, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has countered the allegations of partisan politics saying she treats people from all faiths equally.
On Sunday, she also paid tributes to Mookerjee in a social media post, drawing flak from the Congress.
Taking a jibe at her, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: 'It is not surprising that Banerjee has paid tributes to Mookerjee. She always says good things about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Have you ever seen her criticising its chief Mohan Bhagwat?'
On Sun, Jul 6, 2025 at 7:13 PM Tanmay Chatterjee wrote:
Bengal BJP president's pluralistic approach, appeal to Muslims targeted by TMC
Tanmay Chatterjee
[e-mail]
Kolkata: As the Bharatiya Janata Party celebrated the birth anniversary of Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, its icon, on Sunday, the party's new West Bengal unit president Samik Bhattacharya was targeted by the ruling Trinamool Congress for adopting a pluralistic approach to reach out to Muslims who comprise around 30% of the state's population and are widely seen as the TMC's vote bank.
'Radicalisation has spread everywhere but nobody can split Bengal again. A silent war is on since the 80's to change the demographic character of India. To counter this, we need not only Hindus but nationalist Muslims as well. The coming election is a test for Bengal's open-minded, progressive, nationalist Muslims,' Bhattacharya said on Sunday, referring to the 2026 assembly polls.
He made the statement while paying homage to Mookerjee whose contribution in creation of West Bengal during Partition is hailed by the saffron camp. The eastern part of the undivided Bengal province became East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1947 following the Two Nation Theory.
The BJP has been alleging for years that TMC chairperson and chief minister Mamata Banerjee allows illegal Bangladeshi migrants to settle down only to secure their votes. The party has focused on this narrative ever since crackdown on alleged illegal migrants began in BJP-ruled states a few months ago.
Accusing BJP of selectively targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims from her state, Banerjee has countered the allegations of partisan politics saying she treats people from all faiths equally.
In sharp contrast to Bhattacharya's approach, BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, has been prescribing since January that his party should ignore Muslims and focus entirely on Hindu votes for the 2026 polls. This, however, has not been endorsed by the BJP national leadership.
According to surveys done by all parties, Muslim voters play a decisive role in at least 120 of Bengal's 294 assembly seats, of which BJP could win only 75 in 2021. BJP fielded nine Muslim candidates but none could win. TMC, on the other hand, has 42 Muslim MLAs.
As the chief minister, too, paid tributes to Mookerjee in a social media post on Sunday, drawing flak from the Congress, TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar targeted both Bhattacharya and Adhikari.
Majumdar said: 'Bhattacharya has come up with a new recipe. He is trying to reach out to not only the Muslims but to the Left and Congress as well. One of his party leaders has taken the opposite line. The elections will be over by the time BJP clears its confusion. It will be left with no seats.'
Former state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took jibes at the chief minister.
He said: 'It is not surprising that Banerjee has paid tributes to Mookerjee. She always says good things about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Have you ever seen her criticising its chief Mohan Bhagwat?'
'BJP's appeal to the Muslims is a tactical move. Their real target is to form a Hindu rashtra (nation) where Muslims will be treated as secondary citizens,' Chowdhury added.
On July 3, minutes after being declared president of the state unit, Bhattacharya said: 'We need to protect and nurture the pluralistic character of West Bengal. Let Muharram and Durga puja immersion processions take place together. Muslims need to understand that BJP is not against them. We are only against those who have picked up stones and swords. We want to put books and pens in their hands instead.'
'Don't vote for the BJP if you think it is untouchable but face the mirror. At least 90 % of the people killed in clashes in recent years in Bengal were Muslims,' he added.
Described as BJP's 'official party line' by state leaders, including former state president Sukanta Majumdar, Bhattacharya's strategy is being seen as a move to encourage Muslims to vote against TMC rather than for BJP.
'Not all Muslims are happy with the TMC regime. Lack of local employment forces millions of them to look for work in other states. Bhattarcharya's appeal may create a split in Muslim votes. Even if these votes go to the Left or Congress, BJP will be the ultimate beneficiary,' a senior state BJP leader said, requesting anonymity.
He cited examples such as Murshidabad district, where Muslims comprise 66.28 % of the population, the state's highest, Congress won the Sagardighi assembly bypoll in 2023. TMC had to make the winner switch camps months later. In 2021, Muslims helped Nawsad Siddiqui's Indian Secular Front win the Bhangar seat in North 24 Parganas.
'In the recent assembly bypoll at Nadia district's Kaliganj, Muslim families that voted for CPI(M) were targeted by TMC workers. A 10-year-old child died in a bomb attack. TMC is wary about the minority community,' the leader added.
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