"I Want the Nation to Know That West Bengal is Becoming an Islamic State, We Are Losing It" - BJP MP Saumitra Khan

New Delhi: During the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, BJP MP Saumitra Khan delivered a heated address, making several controversial statements about the state of democracy and law and order in West Bengal.

Speaking during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, and in the presence of Honorable Speaker Om Birla, Khan expressed his gratitude to the people of Bishnupur for giving him a third term as their representative in parliament. However, his speech soon turned critical of the current government in West Bengal.

Khan claimed that apart from the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections, no other elections are taking place in West Bengal. He contended that without the intervention of central forces or the Election Commission, there will be no elections at all, citing the lack of panchayat or municipal elections as evidence.

Khan, born on December 8, 1980, is an Indian politician representing the Bishnupur constituency of West Bengal in the Lok Sabha. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019 and currently serves as the president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha West Bengal.

Saumitra Khan’s political journey has seen significant shifts. In the 2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, he was elected to the assembly from Katulpur constituency as a candidate of the Indian National Congress (INC). On December 12, 2013, he announced his intention to join the ruling TMC, alleging that the state Congress unit was ignoring the Bankura district, and four days later, he officially joined the TMC. In the 2014 Indian general election, Khan was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from Bishnupur constituency. After his election, he prioritized developing Bishnupur as a tourist spot and protecting the rights of workers who make Baluchari Sarees.

He alleged that it is customary in Bengal to ignore the decisions of the President, the Governor, and the courts, and he accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of undermining their authority. Khan additionally asserted that the TMC has persistently barred opposition figures from state gatherings and charged them with failing to extend an invitation to BJP representatives for any formal events.

The BJP MP further accused TMC of the murders of over 200 BJP activists in West Bengal and claimed that a young BJP worker was assassinated following the 2024 elections. He also claimed that a TMC MP from Chopra had referred to West Bengal as an Islamic State and that TMC supporters had paraded a naked woman around Cooch Behar.

Khan warned that without proper measures, West Bengal could integrate into Bangladesh, highlighting the use of slogans like “Jai Bangla” by TMC to suppress opposition. He further claimed that people in Bengal cannot say “Jai Shree Ram” or perform Kali Puja without facing repercussions.