KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Abdur Rahim Boxi sparked controversy after purportedly threatening to "pour acid" down the throat of anyone speaking against migrant workers from West Bengal. The Malda district TMC president allegedly made the remarks during a public meeting in Malatipur on Saturday night.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, though PTI has not independently verified its authenticity.
Boxi was reacting to a BJP MLA’s comment during an Assembly discussion, in which the latter reportedly referred to migrant workers from Bengal as “Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.”
“I strongly resent the abominable comments made by a BJP MLA,” Boxi said. “How dare he insult our Bengali citizens who leave the state in search of work? I caution him, I will pour acid in the throat of anyone making such statements to silence them.”
He further accused BJP leaders of viewing the people of the state “through the prism of a divisive political agenda,” adding that they “should have their eyes checked.”
BJP’s IT Cell head Amit Malviya condemned the remarks on X, saying, “Violence is not new to TMC, it is their political culture. In Malda-Murshidabad, where illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas form Mamata Banerjee's committed vote bank, such threats reflect how TMC sustains its politics.”