BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Ray, popularly known as Anant Maharaj, has sparked a political controversy after making derogatory remarks about top constitutional authorities at a public gathering in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district, where he criticised discussions around the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and alleged that leaders seeking proof of citizenship from people were themselves foreigners, claiming that the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Governor of West Bengal were “Pakistanis and Bangladeshis”.
“If your names do not appear on the voter list, your bank accounts will be frozen. The Home Minister said there will be detention camps and those not enlisted in the NRC will be detained to find out their nationality,” Anant Maharaj alleged while speaking at Ada Bari Ghat in Cooch Behar. “Those holding this entire administrative process and asking us to show documents are themselves Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. The President, Prime Minister and the Governor of Bengal are all Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. But this is our land, then how can you ask us to show documents?” he added.
The BJP MP went on to extend the accusation to the state machinery, claiming that leaders, the police and the administration in West Bengal were also “Bangladeshis and Pakistanis”.
The remarks have drawn sharp reactions across the political spectrum and put the Bharatiya Janata Party in an uncomfortable position ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, raising questions about internal discipline and messaging.
Local BJP leaders sought to distance the party from the comments. A district-level BJP vice-president said he was unaware of Anant Maharaj’s remarks and described them as his “personal views”, adding that they did not reflect the party’s official position.
The ruling Trinamool Congress has strongly condemned the statement, terming it an unacceptable attack on constitutional authorities. TMC leaders said such remarks undermined democratic institutions and reiterated the party’s stand that no genuine citizen’s name should be removed from electoral rolls under the guise of verification exercises.
