Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 5 : West Bengal Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shashi Panja has dismissed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's remarks on the situation of Hindus in the state, stressing that the latter's remarks hold no significance as they are "scared and completely desperate."
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Panja asserted that the Centre should state the situation in Bangladesh and the killings of Hindus.
"Their statements hold no significance because the Government of India should talk to the Bangladesh government or the Government of India should state the situation in Bangladesh and the killings of Hindus. TMC has certainly condemned it... What Suvendu Adhikari is saying is that Hindus are in danger here; actually, the BJP is in political danger here, so they are scared and completely desperate," she said.
The TMC leader reiterated the state government's commitment to maintaining communal harmony and peace and accused the BJP of repeatedly attempting to politicise sensitive international and domestic issues ahead of elections.
Earlier on Sunday, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari held the Yunus government responsible for the unrestful situation in Bangladesh, highlighting that the Hindus are also being targeted under Mamata Banerjee's government, similar to that of Bangladesh.
"Yunus government is responsible for all these incidents. There, Hindus are being targeted here also, the Mamata government is targeting Hindus... To control all this, a nationalist government is needed..." he said.
He also welcomed the BCCI's directive to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman from its 2026 IPL team, saying that whatever the BCCI did is in the interest of the nation.
"Whatever BCCI did is in the interest of the nation as the nation is above all..," the BJP leader said.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to send its senior men's cricket team to India for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in India following a directors' meeting on Sunday, the Daily Star reported.
The BCB has also asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift Bangladesh's cricket team matches from India to Sri Lanka, the report citing a BCB official added.
The development comes after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed on Saturday that the franchise has excluded Bangladeshi player Muztafizur Rahman from its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 squad following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).