Kolkata:
A leader of Mamata Banerjee’s party in Bengal has sparked controversy with his anti-Bihar tirade during a public rally. Trinamool MLA Manoranjan Byapari has people from Bihar a “bimaarior disease and says Bengal should be “disease-free”, in a video that has gone viral.
“If Bengali blood flows through your veins…If the blood of Khudiram and Netaji (Subhash Chandra Bose) flows through your veins and if you love your native language and motherland, then you must scream out loud -“Ek Bihari, sou bimari‘(One Bihar person is equal to 100 diseases)’. We don’t want diseases. Make Bengal disease free. I have bangla, I have Didi Mamata Banerjee,” said Manoranjan Byapari at the recent Kolkata Book Fair.
He was also heard to say, “If everything is all right in Bihar, then go back to Bihar.”
The comments were made by BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, a former leader of the Trinamool Congress, who shared the video on Twitter.
“First its leader Mamata Banerjee labels Biharis and UPites (those from Uttar Pradesh) as ‘Bohiragotos’ (outsiders) and now this clarion call to liberate Bengal from biharis‘ wrote Mr Adhikari.
He also poked Shatrughan Sinha, the actor-politician from Bihar who was recently named as a Trinamool candidate for bypolls in Bengal.
“My humble question to Bihari Babu Shri Shatrugan Sinha. Sir, what do you think of this outrageous diatribe from TMC MLA Manoranjan Byapari? Your new party colleague is very transparent about his feelings towards biharis‘, Mr Adhikari tweeted:
My humble question to Bihari Babu Shri @ShatruganSinha ji, sir, what do you think of this outrageous rant from TMC MLA Manoranjan Byapari?
Your new party colleague is very transparent about his feelings towards Biharis. His recent speech at the Kolkata International Book Fair: pic.twitter.com/3vtVln6tdH— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) March 14, 2022
First his leader @MamataOfficial labels Biharis & UPites as “Bohiragotos” and now this clarion call to free Bengal from Biharis.@BJP4Bihar@BJP4India@renu_bjp@SanjayJaisw@girirajsinghbjp@BJP4Jharkhand@YashwantSinha@PavanK_Varma
— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) March 14, 2022
Mr Byapari is a first MLA to beat Hooghly in the Bangladesh elections last year. According to reports, he learned to read in prison when he was 24 and went on to write several books.