West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said he was not a "weak and coward" chief minister like his predecessor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, asserting that he would not tolerate "reckless" remarks by elected representatives that could fuel communal tensions.
Addressing a BJP rally in Murshidabad's Rejinagar ahead of the Assembly bypoll, the schedule for which is yet to be announced, Adhikari was referring to Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief and Nowda MLA Humayun Kabir, who has recently come under fire over alleged inflammatory statements.
"Make no mistake, I am not a weak and coward chief minister like Mamata Banerjee. I will not tolerate reckless comments from elected representatives. I have asked the local MLA to choose his words carefully, keeping in mind the Constitution of the country," Adhikari said.
He also claimed that the Rejinagar bypoll would be held within the next 30 to 45 days and said the BJP would focus on development rather than communal politics.
"The bypolls in Rejinagar will be held in the next 30 to 45 days. We will usher in development here, with whatever demands the voters here may have as against the Hindu-Muslim politics which has been practised for so long in this region," he said.
Adhikari alleged that residents of Murshidabad had suffered under the previous TMC-led government, accusing it of fuelling unrest in the district in the name of protests against issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the Waqf Act.
The Rejinagar seat fell vacant after Humayun Kabir, who won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the Assembly elections, vacated Rejinagar and retained Nowda. Along with Rejinagar, a bypoll is also due in Nandigram after Adhikari vacated the seat following his victory from Bhabanipur, where he defeated Mamata Banerjee.
Adhikari has repeatedly targeted Kabir over his public statements. During the Budget Session of the West Bengal Assembly on June 29, he accused the Nowda MLA of making inflammatory remarks to polarise voters ahead of the Rejinagar bypoll, in which Kabir's son is expected to contest.
"I will not allow you (Kabir) to make such reckless and unrestrained public statements ever again. I will not only make him withdraw his statements, but also ensure he thinks multiple times before making such remarks. I assure this House that this would be the last time he makes such comments in public," Adhikari had said, adding that "time has come to teach the Nowda MLA a lesson."
(With inputs from PTI)