Don’t go to places where Muslims are majority, Suvendu ‘advises’ travellers
Times of India | 12 July 2025
Kolkata: Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday advised people against going to places "where Muslims are in a majority", and also referred to Bengali-speaking migrants in New Delhi's Jai Hind Colony as "Rohingya Muslims". The comments drew sharp criticism on Friday from Trinamool Congress, which said the BJP neta was indulging in a "disgraceful, calculated act of communal provocation" and "pushing the message of terrorists at home".
In the backdrop of J&K CM Omar Abdullah meeting CM Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari told reporters: "Don't go to places where Muslims are in a majority. If you want to go to Kashmir, go to Jammu... They (terrorists) killed people asking their religion. If you want to go, go to Himachal, we have Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, go to Odisha, whole country... Give priority to your life (Jaan pehle). Save your children, sister, mother.
" He added that this was his "personal opinion" and he was "not speaking as a BJP MLA".
In a statement on X, Trinamool said: "The terrorists attacked Pahalgam to paralyse Kashmir's economy, and Suvendu is handing them exactly what they wanted. It is a disgraceful, calculated act of communal provocation. This is the very same BJP that wants ‘secular' erased from the Constitution. Such statements have no place in a democratic country. We will not let BJP burn bridges between Indians. Not in Kashmir. Not in Bengal. Not anywhere.
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Senior state minister Shashi Panja told reporters that Adhikari was "rattled" by Omar's Kolkata visit. "Union govt itself declared that normalcy should return to Jammu & Kashmir. But in light of this statement, what follows? Everything seems to have failed. You cannot issue a farman (edict) telling tourists from Bengal not to visit Kashmir. Why is he so rattled by the visit of CM Omar Abdullah to Bengal?"On reports of Bengali-speaking migrants in Jai Hind Colony living without water and electricity, Adhikari told mediapersons: "This is a false allegation. There is no evidence. They want to put a Bengali tag on Rohingya Muslims. They (Trinamool) are giving protection to Rohingya Muslims, nothing is happening against Bengalis. Ask them (those affected) to put up videos, EPIC cards and Aadhaar cards. They are saying this because Rohingyas are being removed from the voter list.
"In response, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam posted on X: "This is why we call the BJP anti-Bengali. We have never viewed the atrocities against migrant workers through the lens of religion. Let it be clear: discrimination has no religion, and bigotry wears many masks. Today, Bengali Hindus are also facing the same hate and violence that others have long suffered in silence.
" "Let me give an example to show this frustrated BJP leader that many of the workers facing such brutality also belong to the Hindu community. Sujan Sarkar, a Bengali Hindu migrant worker from Samsherganj, Murshidabad, was physically assaulted in BJP-ruled Odisha. This is not an isolated incident—it reflects a disturbing pattern of targeted harassment against Bengalis, both Hindus and Muslims, across several BJP-ruled states," Islam, who is also chairman of the state migrant workers' welfare board, said.
He added: "The continued vilification of Bengalis based on their language, culture, and regional identity is an affront to the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution and the spirit of unity in diversity. Bengali migrant workers, who tirelessly contribute to the economy, deserve respect and protection — not xenophobic abuse.