Ahead of Shah visit, MLA ‘remark’ against Shantanu worries state BJP
Times of India | 27 December 2025
Kolkata: Merely three days before Union home minister Amit Shah's scheduled visit to Bengal, state BJP netas are still speaking in many voices, causing discomfort in party ranks. The latest in the list of such comments has come from Haringhata MLA Asim Sarkar, who has been "heard criticising" junior Union minister Shantanu Thakur over the trouble being faced by people of the Matua community amid the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bengal.
On Friday, the audio clip purportedly featuring Sarkar went viral. In the clip, the MLA was heard purportedly saying: "I am not agreeing with Thakurmashai. Not a single Matua name should be deleted. I am not agreeing with the MP." Recently, Shantanu, also the sabhadhipati of the BJP-led faction of the All India Matua Mahasangha, had said that he would rather have 1 lakh Matua names be deleted than let 50 lakh infiltrators stay on the list. When TOI tried to contact Sarkar, his phone was switched off.
Sarkar ruffled feathers in the Matua political scape earlier as well when he was seen touching the feet of Trinamool MP Mamatabala Thakur — arch-rival of Shantanu. Another purported conversation of Sarkar went viral a year ago when he allegedly asked people not to vote for Shantanu. However, Sarkar later denied having said that.
Shah, scheduled to hold a series of meetings with state BJP netas, is likely to reach the state on Monday night. On Friday, Bengal BJP co-minder Sunil Bansal held meetings with state netas to discuss preparations for the home minister's visit. According to state BJP seniors, Shah is likely to take stock of the organisational preparedness. During his two-day stay, he is also likely to hold one-on-one discussions with state netas to zero in on the roadmap for the assembly poll.
With this in the backdrop, differing voices have been forcing the party on a backfoot just before poll campaign, said a party neta who added that such instances would also be discussed with Shah.
On Thursday, Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya tried to restrain leader of the opposition in Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari during his speech at National Library. Adhikari earlier said that he had quit his ministerial post to join BJP. While lauding Adhikari's ‘feisty campaigns' across the state, Bhattacharya asked the former not to refer to the ministry and posts he had left behind. "In his (Adhikari) speech, he said that he quit the ministry to join BJP upon invitation. All of that is in the past... he has now become one with BJP. I will request him not to mention that in any of his speeches again," Bhattacharya had said.