BJP MP brands Modi, Murmu ‘Pakistani’, exposing deep rifts within ruling party
Roy links electoral rolls revision to detention camps, NRC-like exercise
New Delhi: In yet another controversy highlighting growing chaos and intolerance within India’s ruling establishment, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha member Nagendra Roy made controversial remarks against top authorities, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose “Pakistani” and “Bangladeshi.”
According to Kashmir Media Service, the BJP MP made the remarks while addressing a gathering of his supporters in Sitai area of Coochbehar district in West Bengal, catching leaders of his own party off guard.
Roy also criticised the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise that has drawn strong opposition across India since its launch in Bihar earlier this year. He warned that the process could result in deletion of names from voters’ lists, leading to frozen bank accounts and denial of welfare benefits.
Linking the SIR to possible detention camps, Roy alleged that people could be detained to verify their place of origin and claimed that those conducting the exercise were themselves foreigners. His remarks have added to fears that the SIR could pave the way for a backdoor implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Reacting to the controversy, West Bengal BJP president Sameek Bhattacharya distanced himself from Roy’s comments, stating that there was no connection between the SIR and detention camps.
