Kolkata: A fresh political storm has erupted in West Bengal after a video allegedly showing Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra making controversial remarks about Lord Ram went viral, triggering sharp reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The controversy has once again brought religious sensitivity and political rhetoric to the centre of Bengal’s charged political discourse.
The BJP accused the ruling TMC of repeatedly hurting Hindu sentiments, with national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari launching a strong attack on the party leadership. In a post on social media, Bhandari alleged that such statements reflect a pattern of appeasement politics and claimed that silence from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee amounts to tacit approval. He said the repeated targeting of Hindu beliefs shows how far the party has “degenerated” for electoral gains.
The issue gained traction after the video clip, reportedly from a public address, began circulating widely. BJP leaders demanded accountability and questioned why action was not taken against the MLA for remarks they described as offensive to religious faith.
Responding to the controversy, Madan Mitra rejected the allegations outright, claiming the video was old and deliberately edited to create outrage ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. He accused the BJP of selectively clipping and misrepresenting his words, asserting that he never made any comment questioning Lord Ram’s religious identity.
Speaking to media outlets, Mitra went a step further, calling the clip “doctored” and “AI-generated.” He maintained that his remarks were taken completely out of context and said he had only spoken about Lord Ram’s divine status, not religion. According to him, the timing of the video’s circulation was politically motivated.
The controversy also revived memories of an earlier incident during Navratri, when a separate video showed Mitra singing inside a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, with religious references that had earlier drawn criticism. That clip had also sparked debate, though no official action followed.
