‘No commission can dare touch Hindus, Indian Muslims’: Samik
Times of India | 17 September 2025A day later, Bhattacharya did not elaborate on his Facebook post — a 43-second voiceover with his still photograph addressing a group of Muslims in the backdrop of a madrassa — which was also the third time the state BJP chief "reached out" to "Indian Muslims" in three months.
In the audio, Bhattacharya is heard saying: "We have repeatedly said that those who are Hindus in West Bengal, those who are Hindu refugees, and those who are Indian Muslims, none will dare touch them.
BJP is with them. I am repeating it again. All those who are Hindus in Bengal, and Indian Muslims who did not desert this country for East Pakistan, calling it napak (unholy) and dar al-harb (house of war), BJP is with them.
BJP will always remain with them. None can dare touch them, whatever commission it may be."
The references to "Indian Muslims", as opposed to Bhattacharya's public stand against "illegal infiltrators and Rohingya", and "commission" come in the backdrop of the proposed SIR exercise, which his party — the only one in Bengal — is backing.
Bhattacharya's explicit reference to "BJP-not-against-Indian Muslims", however, did not lower the shrill Hindutva rhetoric of other Bengal BJP netas.
State leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, among these shrill voices, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, briefly outlined the party's focus on the 2026 assembly polls in Bengal. "Elections in Bengal are due in another six months. This is Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee's karmabhoomi.
BJP may win in 21-25 states, but unless we win here (in Bengal), the circle will never be completed. Yes, senior netas speak about it. They also feel if we can rise from three (MLAs) to 77 (MLAs) in five years, then why not 177 (MLAs)? If we can have a vote share of 39-40%, then why not 45%?" Adhikari said.
In July, immediately after taking over as Bengal BJP chief, Bhattacharya said "BJP isn't fighting Muslims ... and the state's plurality needs to be saved." In Aug, in the backdrop of migrant workers fleeing BJP-governed states fearing police persecution after being labelled Bangladeshis, he said, "Nobody would dare touch a Hindu or a nationalist Muslim."
