BJP West Bengal President and Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, has triggered a political controversy after urging Bengalis to avoid Muslim-majority areas of Jammu and Kashmir, citing the recent killing of tourists in Pahalgam.
“Don’t go to Muslim-majority areas,” Adhikari said at a public interaction on Friday. “If you want to visit Kashmir, go to Jammu. Otherwise, go to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha—there are plenty of places. In Pahalgam, they asked tourists their religion before killing them.”
His remarks came just a day after Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. Banerjee had called for continued tourism in Kashmir and asserted that ensuring tourist safety was the Centre’s responsibility, The Observer Post reported.
The Trinamool Congress hit back sharply, accusing Adhikari of spreading communal fear. “By discouraging Bengalis from visiting Kashmir, Suvendu has effectively amplified the fear that terrorists seek to spread,” the party said in a statement. “Is this the official BJP position? Does PM Modi, Amit Shah, or S. Jaishankar endorse this hate?”
TMC minister Shashi Panja added, “This narrative sounds more like Pakistan or Bangladesh. You cannot dictate where people should travel. Is this just because Omar Abdullah visited Bengal?”
Adhikari defended his remarks, claiming he had met the families of Bengali tourists killed in Kashmir and questioned why Abdullah didn’t. He also repeated his long-held belief that BJP’s minority outreach was futile, having previously called for the party to dissolve its minority morchas.
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) condemned Adhikari’s statement as “irresponsible and deeply shameful.”
“Kashmiris have always stood with the nation,” said Tanvir Sadiq, JKNC chief spokesperson. “Suvendu Adhikari is spewing divisive hate. This is not just about Kashmir—it’s about the soul of India.”
Opposition parties, including the Congress and Left, also criticized the remarks, calling them dangerous at a time when the government claims normalcy has returned to Jammu and Kashmir.
TMC leaders further questioned the silence of newly appointed BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, who had earlier said the party’s fight wasn’t against minorities.
