West Bengal BJP chief calls AIFB members fools; Forward Block demands an apology

West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya. | Photo credit: ANI

While praising Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s contributions, West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Samik Bhattacharya recently attacked the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), the party founded by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, calling its members “goons”.

Mr. Bhattacharya, a member of the Rajya Sabha, said that when Mookerjee urged Subhas Chandra Bose and his brother Sarat Chandra Bose to raise their voice against the torture of Hindus in Bangladesh, none of them listened. These remarks drew sharp criticism from Netaji’s followers and AIFB leaders.

AIFB general secretary G. Devarajan wrote a letter to BJP national president Nitin Nabin on July 11, demanding that he immediately order Mr Bhattacharya to “unconditionally withdraw his defamatory statement and issue a public apology to the Forward Bloc and the people of the country”.

“We further urge you to instruct all BJP leaders in West Bengal to desist from making irresponsible statements against Netaji, refrain from any attempt to erase or diminish his legacy through symbolic or administrative actions and to respect the established history of India’s freedom movement,” Mr Devarajan said.

Addressing a public rally, the BJP state president described how Mookerjee was attacked by AIFB supporters. “Syama Prasad was giving a speech at Md. Ali Park. The Forward Bloc heroes threw stones at him and left him bleeding from the wound. If Mookerjee had made any statement to incite the crowd, the Forward Bloc members would not have survived that day,” Mr. Bhattacharya said on July 6.

The very next day, Mr. Bhattacharya said, “When Hindus were being tortured in Bangladesh between 1937 and 1939, Syama Prasad approached Subhas Chandra Bose and Sarat Bose and asked them to raise their voice and issue a statement. Neither Mookerjee listened.”

The AIFB general secretary said in the letter that the Forward Bloc activists who opposed the communal and divisive speeches of “Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1940 were functioning under the direct guidance and political leadership of Netaji himself.

“It is equally well documented that Netaji repeatedly warned Mookerjee against making speeches that could inflame passions in society and disturb public peace. These are established historical facts that cannot be erased by propaganda or selective reinterpretation,” Mr. Devarajan wrote in the letter.

Amid the Netaji versus Syama Prasad debate, a BJP MLA from Birbhum announced that the road that was named after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose would be changed and named after Syama Prasad Mookerjee. This further drew criticism not only from the AIFB but also from opposition political parties.

Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee remains the BJP’s biggest icon and the party recently celebrated his 125th birth anniversary on July 6, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah arriving in Kolkata. The BJP government has announced a plan to erect a 125-foot tall statue of Syama Prasad Mookerjee in Kolkata. However, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose remains among the most famous Bengalis who shaped the course of the country’s freedom struggle. While the BJP has 208 seats in the West Bengal Assembly, the AIFB, which is a component of the Left Front, has no representation in the State Assembly.

Published – 12 Jul 2026 22:07 IST