West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari stirred a controversy on Wednesday as he called for scrapping Minority Morcha and urged leaders to stop saying ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. He said, “We will now say, ‘Jo Hamare Saath, Hum Unke Saath’.”
“…I had spoken about nationalist Muslims and you too had said ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. But I will not say this anymore. Instead, we will now say, ‘Jo Hamare Saath, Hum Unke Saath‘. Stop this ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas‘. Minority Morcha is not needed,” Suvendu Adhikari said at a BJP state executive meeting in Kolkata on Wednesday.
#WATCH | At BJP state executive meeting in Kolkata, West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari says, “…I had spoken about nationalist Muslims and you too had said ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. But I will not say this anymore. Instead, we will now say, ‘Jo Hamare Saath, Hum… pic.twitter.com/mvqKGuJ9iN
— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2024
‘It is against democracy’
Adhikari drew flak for his statement with TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, saying that “it is against democracy”. He said, “Here there is a Hindu majority, and then there are minorities, Muslims, and Christians, and all democratic parties have a minority cell…If it (BJP) had been a democratic party, it would have said that our party is for everyone…But they are saying that minority morcha should not be there…”
#WATCH | TMC leader Kunal Ghosh says, “…They (BJP) are saying that there should not be a minority front, it is against democracy. Here there is a Hindu majority and then there are minorities, Muslims, and Christians and all democratic parties have a minority cell…If it (BJP)… pic.twitter.com/AIuk4TCbyu
— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2024
‘We get to hear is a Hindu party despite…’: Adhikari issues clarification
Adhikari issued a clarification and said the slogan was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi “and it remains”. He said his statement was “political” and “has nothing to do with PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ slogan.”
“As a BJP functionary, with heavy pain, I kept my point forward that the BJP’s state unit should stand with the party workers and not with those who do not stand with BJP,” Adhikari said.
He complained that despite doing welfare work for everyone, he gets to hear that the “BJP is a Hindu party”. He said, “We are shown black flags and stones are pelted on our vehicles… Whatever we have done so far is for every citizen of the country irrespective of religion.”
#WATCH | Kolkata: West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari says, “That slogan was given by the PM and it remains. As a BJP functionary, with heavy pain, I kept my point forward that the BJP’s state unit should stand with the party workers, and not with those who do not… pic.twitter.com/mdyFwp980D
— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2024
“My statements are personal and have no relation with the party’s thoughts… There was a minority morcha in my constituency. I celebrated Eid with 700 people in the Milan Utsav,” the West Bengal BJP leader said. He further emphasised, “Communal voting greatly affected BJP.…”
