BJP MP Anurag Thakur and other party leaders enjoyed fish and rice (maachbhaat) on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal. This was an effort to counter CM Mamata Banerjee’s claim that the BJP would ban fish if it won.
Anurag Thakur eat fish on campaign
A video showed Thakur and the BJP leaders eating shorshemaachbhaat (fish in mustard gravy and rice). This highlighted how important the dish is to Bengali identity and politics. The BJP’s Bengal unit has been trying hard to show that it does not oppose eating fish.
“We are eating meat, fish, and rice. The BJP governs in 16 states, and the NDA governs in 20 states. There are no restrictions anywhere on speech, food, or worship,” Anurag Thakur told reporters in Kolkata.
“Mamata Banerjee has no achievements in 15 years, so she spreads fear, confusion, and rumors. They couldn’t stop infiltration or corruption, and they couldn’t provide jobs. May 4 will come, and the TMC will be removed,” he said.
TMC, AAP Take Swipe
Meanwhile, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha criticized Anurag Thakur for eating fish while wearing saffron clothing. He accused the BJP of shutting down meat and fish shops in other states but taking a different approach in Bengal for political reasons.
“Look at how he’s eating fish on a Tuesday, wearing saffron with sandalwood paste on! These are the same people who go around shutting down meat and fish shops in Delhi and other cities. Now that Bengal’s elections are here, the PM has imposed fish-eating on everyone. What won’t you do for power, sir? This shows the true nature and face of the BJP,” he said on X.
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