As West Bengal’s Murshidabad district continues to remain tense amid violence over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, local TMC MP Yusuf Pathan on Sunday faced the BJP’s ire for posting photos of him sipping “good chai (tea)” in “calm surroundings”.
Taking to X, BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack on the TMC and its Baharampur MP, and said that Pathan is sipping tea and soaking in the moment while Hindus are getting “slaughtered”. “Bengal is burning. HC has said it can’t keep eyes closed and deployed centra forces. Mamata Banerjee is encouraging such state protected violence as Police stays silent! Meanwhile Yusuf Pathan – MP sips tea and soaks in the moment as Hindus get slaughtered… This is TMC.”
Pathan, a former cricketer, had taken to his Instagram handle on Saturday to post three photos with a caption that read, “Easy afternoons, good chai, and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment.”
The post has drawn considerable flak from social media users, who criticised him for his “insensitivity”.
The protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act has spiralled into violence in Murshidabad district over the weekend, killing three persons so far. According to a government statement, over 150 people have been arrested.
Appealing for calm, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asked people not to do “non-religious activity in the name of religion” and said the Waqf law would not be implemented in the state. The Calcutta High Court, acting on a petition filed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, ordered the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the affected areas. Calling the situation “grave and volatile”, the court said it “cannot turn a blind eye”.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd