TMC MLA Abdur Rahim Bakshi justifies ‘pouring acid’ remark against Shankar Ghosh, says, 'BJP insulted…’

TMC MLA Abdur Rahim Bakshi has clarified his earlier remarks, where he threatened to pour acid down the throat of anyone speaking against migrant workers from West Bengal. He stated that his comments were in response to a BJP leader who, he claimed, had “insulted both Bengalis and the state of Bengal”.

Speaking with ANI, the TMC leader said, “..In the Vidhan Sabha, a BJP MLA made a statement that all migrant workers are Rohingya and Bangladeshi. This is completely false. We're Indians, we're Bengalis... How could he say that? He's insulted Bengalis and Bengal.”

He added, “That's why I made that statement. A Bengali MLA can't say such things against Bengalis. That's why I suggested pouring acid down his throat, so his throat closes and he never says these things again.”

A purported video of it went viral on social media, “I strongly resent the abominable comments made by a BJP MLA at the assembly during the discussion on a resolution condemning the attack on Bengali migrant workers. That MLA labelled migrant workers from West Bengal as Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. How dare he insult our Bengali citizens who go outside the state for jobs?” he said.

Slamming the TMC leaders' comments, BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya said in a post on X, “Violence is not new to TMC -- it is their political culture. And in Malda-Murshidabad, where illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas form Mamata Banerjee's committed vote bank, such threats are a reflection of how TMC sustains its politics.”

The BJP on Sunday accused opposition leaders of launching a campaign to shield infiltrators residing in India, pointing to recent statements from some of them as evidence of alleged threats over the party's stance in states like West Bengal and Jharkhand.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the party’s opposition to infiltrators is rooted in national security concerns. He also claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent criticism of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar was, in effect, an attempt to "protect infiltrators."

(With inputs from agencies)