The anti-Bihar rant by one of Mamata Banerjee's party leaders in Bengal has sparked controversy.
Kolkata: A video that has gone viral has been posted by Trinamool MLA Manoranjan Byapari calling Bihar's people a "bimaari" or disease.
Manoranjan Byapari during the recent Kolkata Book Fair said that "If Bengali blood runs through your veins...If the blood of Khudiram and Netaji (Subhash Chandra Bose) runs through your veins and if you love your mother tongue and motherland, then you have to shout out loud - 'Ek Bihari, sou bimari' (One Bihar person is equal to 100 diseases)'. We don't want diseases. Make Bengal disease-free. Jai Bangla, Jai Didi Mamata Banerjee."
Additionally, he was heard saying: "If everything is fine in Bihar, then s***la go back to Bihar."
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, a former Trinamool Congress leader criticized the remarks on Twitter, sharing the video
"First his leader Mamata Banerjee labels Biharis and UPites (those from Uttar Pradesh) as 'Bohiragotos' (outsiders) and now this clarion call to make Bengal free of Biharis," Mr Adhikari tweeted.
As part of the incident, he also mocked actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who was named Trinamool's candidate for a byelection in Bengal.
My humble question to Bihari Babu Shri @ShatruganSinha ji, Sir, what do you feel about this disgraceful rant of TMC MLA Manoranjan Byapari?
— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) March 14, 2022
Your new party colleague is very transparent about his feelings towards Biharis. His recent speech at the Kolkata International Book Fair: pic.twitter.com/3vtVln6tdH
"My humble question to Bihari Babu Shri Shatrugan Sinha. Sir, what do you feel about this disgraceful rant of TMC MLA Manoranjan Byapari? Your new party colleague is very transparent about his feelings towards Biharis," Mr Adhikari wrote.
Byapari, who was elected as MLA for Hooghly in last year's Bengal elections, started reading in prison when he was 24 and went on to write several books.