The political atmosphere in Bengal has grown more tense ahead of by-polls to six Assembly seats next month as actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mithun Chakraborty in Kolkata on Sunday referenced a past comment made by Trinamool Congress leader Humayun Kabir and issued an alleged provocative call to BJP workers.
Recalling Kabir's statement—where the Trinamool leader had threatened opposition workers on religious grounds before the Lok Sabha elections and was subsequently censured by the Election Commission of India (ECI)—Chakraborty declared, "A leader says there are 70 per cent Muslims and 30 per cent Hindus (and) that he will 'cut' and throw them in the Bhagirathi... I thought Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) would say something. She didn't... so now I am saying, we will chop them (up) and bury them in the ground", NDTV reported.
Speaking at a BJP membership drive, Mithun Chakraborty, 74, emphasised his intention, stating, "I am not the Chief Minister... but I am saying this. We will do anything to win the masnad (throne) of Bengal... it will belong to the BJP after the 2026 Assembly election." Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had recently felicitated Chakraborty for receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award on October 8, was present at the event during these remarks.
According to NDTV's report, Mithun Chakraborty further escalated his rhetoric, saying, "I am saying it again and again... we will do anything (to win the 2026 election) ... anything. I am saying this with Home Minister Amit Shahji sitting here - we will do anything." He reiterated his violent stance, claiming, "I say we will cut you up and throw you, not in the Bhagirathi because that is our mother, but we will throw you in the ground."
The actor-politician also criticised the Bengal state government, accusing it of preventing the Hindu community from casting votes. His comments came in the wake of Kabir’s remarks in May during a rally in Murshidabad district, where he had reportedly said, "You are 30 per cent (of the people here) but we are 70 per cent... if you think you can demolish mosques and Muslims will sit back and relax... (you are wrong). I will leave politics if I don't drown you people in the Bhagirathi..."
As per the report, Chakraborty’s speech also included a call to BJP supporters, urging them to join the party’s ranks with resolve. "We want those people who will fight... who can stand up and say, 'Shoot me... let me see how many bullets you have'," he remarked, taking a jab at the Trinamool Congress over incidents of violence in the state, "But we don't want those who join for money." He further warned, "If you cut down one fruit from our trees... we will cut down four of yours," as Amit Shah observed the proceedings.
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Trinamool Congress Slams Mithun Chakraborty's Remarks
In response, the Trinamool Congress swiftly dismissed Chakraborty's comments. Party General Secretary Jay Prakash Majumdar was quoted by NDTV as saying, "No one takes him seriously as a political leader... the leader (the Trinamool's Kabir) whose comment he spoke about was censured (by the Election Commission). But now, in the presence of Amit Shah, Mithun Chakraborty is saying this... will he also be censured now?"
Earlier, Amit Shah addressed the gathering, criticising Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party for "state-sponsored infiltration" in Bengal, and emphasising the BJP's intent to form the next government. "There is state-sponsored infiltration in Bengal and the only way to stop this is to elect the BJP in 2026... Instead of Rabindrasangeet, today you hear bombs," Shah asserted.