Suvendu Adhikari, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in West Bengal, has sparked a row after he suggested that the saffron party should rethink its ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ slogan if it wants to reclaim its political fortunes in Trinamool Congress-ruled state. Adhikari, who has been facing the brunt of the heat after party’s successive losses in the state, also suggested shutting state Minority Morcha to improve the electoral performance in future.
Adhikari’s comments come after successive poll drubbings faced by the BJP in West Bengal. The TMC outperformed the BJP by bagging 29 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in general elections 2024. The BJP could won 12 seats, down from 18 it won in 2019. Adding to saffron party’s woes, the TMC won all four assembly seats that went to bypolls in the state earlier this month.
“We will save the Hindus and save the Constitution. I have spoken about nationalist Muslims and you all said ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. But I shall say it no more. Rather we shall now say, ‘We are with those who are with us’. Let’s put an end to ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’,” Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly, was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. He was speaking at the two-day BJP state executive committee meeting, the first after the Lok Sabha poll results.
“We should also shut Minority Morchas,” the BJP leader said adding that he was the Leader of the Opposition and had little role in the party organisation in the state.
‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’ is a slogan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising on ‘development for all’ irrespective of caste or religion.
The BJP leaders from the state tried to do some damage control and said that Adhikari’s comments were his personal opinion.
“In the working committee meeting, party leaders are free to give their recommendations. It is up to the state party leadership to decide any additions, corrections or deletions. Suvendu Adhikari spoke his mind as a delegate,” Sukanta Majumdar, West Bengal BJP president, told reporters adding that there was no question of dissolving BJP Minority Morcha, a wing that is part of the BJP’s organisational structure across the country.
Later, Adhikari said his statement was being taken out of context. He said his statement was ‘political’ and had nothing to do with PM Modi’s ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ slogan.
My statement is being taken out of context. I am clear that those who are Nationalists, stand for this Nation and Bengal, we should be with them. Those who don’t stand with us, work against the interest of Nation and Bengal, we need to expose them. Also, like Mamata Banerjee, we…
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) July 17, 2024
Adhikari’s comments come a day after he claimed that t ‘more than 50 lakh Hindus’ were not allowed to vote in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal and that over two lakh could not do so in the Assembly bypolls on July 10.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, said the comment was s 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) 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,” Ghosh said.
