Kolkata: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and likely chief minister candidate Suvendu Adhikari made communal remarks moments after he defeated Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee in the West Bengal Assembly elections, promising to work “only for the Hindus” who voted for him.
“Nandigram ka Hindu janta phir mujhe jitaya. Waha musalmaan vote pura ka pura TMC ko mila. Yeh log bhot kattarvadi hai. Mai Nandigram ke Hindu ke liye kaam karunga (The Hindu people of Nandigram have elected me once again. There, the entire Muslim vote went to the TMC. They are highly radicalised, so I am fine with my mark. I will work for the Hindus of Nandigram),” Adhikari told reporters while celebrating the win.
Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Adhikari, won the TMC stronghold of Nandigram, which had been a prestige battleground in the state election.
Separately, Mamata lost the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency to Adhikari by a margin of 15,105 votes. “Muslims voted for Mamata Banerjee, who wears a hijab,” the BJP leader said.
He said ending the rule of Banerjee’s party is his party’s biggest responsibility. “Within 24 hours, TMC will be destroyed. It has no ideology whatsoever.”
“Muslims voted for her openly. In Ward no 77, all the Muslims who came out to vote voted for Mamata, while Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists blessed me and made me win,” he said.
“This victory is a victory for Hindutva, a victory for Bengal, and this victory is a victory for Modi ji. Mamata Banerjee’s political retirement has begun,” Adhikari added.
Adhikari has previously worked in the state ministry for the West Bengal government from 2016 to 2020.
