Mumbai: Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Saturday courted controversy after referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a “terrorist”. Mr. Lodha made the remark while speaking at the launch of a booklet titled Bangladeshi Infiltrator Birth Certificate Scam, authored by party colleague and former MP Kirit Somaiya, at the BJP headquarters in south Mumbai. The booklet was released by Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan.
Alleging large-scale irregularities, Mr. Lodha claimed that over 10 centres had been set up in each district bordering Bangladesh in West Bengal to issue bogus birth certificates to illegal immigrants. He also alleged that such documents were being used to obtain Aadhaar cards and other identity papers.
Addressing the gathering, the minister said he had worked with Mr. Somaiya on the issue of illegal immigration and found that migrants procured forged birth certificates and Aadhaar cards in areas such as Malwani in Mumbai’s Malad suburb. “There is one pattern. Earlier, West Bengal was ruled by the Communists and now by terrorist Mamata Banerjee. Centres have been set up to nurture vote banks. Old birth certificates are given, schools issue certificates for educational qualifications, and then these people are sent to Mumbai, Assam and other places,” he said.
Mr. Lodha said West Bengal was expected to go to the Assembly polls within a year and urged Mr. Somaiya to visit the State and “guide” on the issue of illegal immigration.
Referring to the Assam agitation against illegal immigrants launched nearly 35 years ago, Mr. Lodha said the movement lasted 12 years and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. “Assam was saved,” he claimed.
“To save Mumbai and Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a campaign to make the State free of Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants. More than 2,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis have been deported. But it is not only Mr. Fadnavis’s responsibility. All of us must all work for this cause,” Mr. Lodha said.
Mr. Chavan, in his remarks, praised Mr. Somaiya’s “loyalty to the nation” and said he had carried forward the issues raised by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. He claimed that Mr. Somaiya had brought to the authorities evidence suggesting that around 2.25 lakh Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in Maharashtra had obtained birth certificates through illegal means.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from the Congress. AICC secretary and Telangana co-in-charge Sachin Sawant slammed Mr. Lodha for calling an elected Chief Minister a “terrorist” and demanded details of those allegedly deported.
In a post on X, Mr. Sawant said, “The West Bengal chief minister, elected through democratic means and sworn in under the Constitution, has been branded a terrorist by businessman Lodha. Does the Maharashtra chief minister agree with this statement? This must be clarified. The BJP has tasked this individual with incessantly chanting the words “Rohingya – Bangladeshi” in view of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. As a result, he is now suffering from mental problems.”
Mr. Sawant further demanded that the state government publicly disclose the names of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas allegedly deported from Mumbai and Maharashtra, details of inquiries initiated against them, and the number of cases referred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
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