Kolkata, Jan 4 (PTI) The West Bengal BJP went into damage-control mode on Sunday after remarks by a central party leader on “illegal Bangladeshis” and voter eligibility triggered unease within the state unit and handed fresh ammunition to the TMC in Matua-dominated belts.
The controversy erupted after Lal Singh Arya, national president of the BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha, told a press conference here that anyone who entered India illegally from Bangladesh should not figure in the electoral rolls.
“Whoever has come illegally from Bangladesh, irrespective of caste or religion, their name should not be in the voter list,” Arya said at the party’s state headquarters.
The remarks came amid heightened anxiety in refugee-dominated areas over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with sections of the Matua community fearing deletions ahead of the polls.
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya publicly distanced the party from Arya’s remarks, describing them as personal views that did not reflect the party’s official stand.
“The party does not endorse the comment made by him (Arya). This is not the BJP’s official position and his statement is completely contrary to it. We don’t support his remarks,” Bhattacharya told PTI, adding that “such guests are not welcome in Bengal BJP for press conferences”.
He further said the state unit had conveyed to the central leadership that such leaders should not be sent to Bengal to address the media.
In a rare public rebuke of a central functionary, the Bengal BJP also deleted the video link of Arya’s press conference from its official social media handles.
Arya had addressed reporters alongside state leaders.
His comments stood in contrast to the BJP’s broader political narrative in Bengal. The party has repeatedly assured that no Matua would be left out, arguing that all eligible refugees would regain their place in the rolls through citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
A party functionary said the central leadership had categorically assured support to the Matua and Namasudra communities, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his recent Kolkata visit, had publicly stated that refugees had nothing to fear.
“This is why Arya’s comments are being treated as an aberration, not policy,” a senior BJP leader said, conceding privately that the statement had created “avoidable confusion” at a sensitive political moment.
Within the party, the discomfort was evident. BJP leader Sajal Ghosh openly disagreed with Arya, saying refugees from Bangladesh should not be automatically branded illegal.
“We do not call everyone who came from Bangladesh illegal. Hindu refugees are refugees, not infiltrators, and the government’s declared policy is to grant citizenship to eligible non-Muslims,” Ghosh said.
The Trinamool Congress was quick to seize on the episode.
Party spokesperson Arup Chakraborty taunted the BJP, asking whether its state leaders had the courage to question the central leadership.
“This is the real face of the BJP. Their target is Bengalis, and those who will suffer the most are the Matuas,” Chakraborty said, signalling that the ruling party would amplify the remarks in its outreach across Matua belts.
Political analysts said the incident had placed the Bengal BJP in a tight spot.
“Arya’s statement runs counter to the party’s outreach to refugee communities. The hurried deletion of the video shows the extent of the embarrassment,” a Kolkata-based political analyst said.
With voter revision already a politically charged exercise, BJP leaders fear the TMC will weaponise the controversy to stoke insecurity among Matua voters, a constituency crucial to the saffron party’s electoral arithmetic in southern Bengal. PTI PNT MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.