‘Sipping Tea As Bengal Burns’: BJP Trains Guns On Trinamool MP Yusuf Pathan Over Murshidabad Violence – News18

Last Updated:April 13, 2025, 14:06 IST

The controversy revolves around a recent Instagram post by former cricketer Pathan, who shared a picture of himself in a white shirt and trousers, casually sipping a cup of tea.

Former cricketer and TMC MP Yusuf Pathan | Image.X

The BJP launched a scathing offensive against Trinamool MP Yusuf Pathan on Sunday, accusing him of casually “sipping tea” while parts of Murshidabad reeled under chaos and destruction during violent protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

At least three people lost their lives and over a dozen police personnel were injured as mob violence, arson, and police firing were reported across multiple areas of the district, including Samserganj, Suti, Dhuliyan, and Jangipur.

“Trinamool MP Yusuf Pathan is sipping tea while Bengal is burning in the name of anti-Waqf protest. He is soaking in the moment while Hindus are getting attacked,” said BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla in an X post.

Pathan, a former cricketer and Member of Parliament, represents the Berhampore constituency, one of the three Parliamentary Constituencies (PCs) in Murshidabad district. The other two PCs, Murshidabad and Jangipur, are represented by TMC’s Abu Taher Khan and Khalilur Rahaman, respectively.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Pathan secured a sweeping victory with a margin of 85,022 votes, defeating his closest contenders. According to the election commission, Pathan bagged 5,24,516 votes, while Congress’s five-time MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury secured 4,39,494 votes, and BJP’s Dr Nirmal Kumar Saha received 3,71,885 votes.

BJP Bengal chief and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar also slammed the former cricketer, by taking to X, and saying: “Priorities? TMC MP @iamyusufpathan is posting a picture of him sipping tea and soaking in the moment while Hindus are getting slaughtered in the Malda-Murshidabad region! This is what happens when imports are fielded to represent Bengalis. Shameful!”

Yusuf Pathan’s Instagram Post

The controversy revolves around a recent Instagram post by former cricketer Pathan, who shared a picture of himself in a white shirt and trousers, casually sipping a cup of tea.

“Easy afternoons, good chai, and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment,” reads the caption of his post which was shared on the social networking site on April 12.

Murshidabad Unrest

Protest against the Waqf Act turned violent in several pockets of West Bengal, including Murshidabad, on Friday as agitators set vehicles on fire, clashed with security forces, and disrupted road and rail traffic.

In Murshidabad’s Suti, the protesters assembled despite prohibitory orders, staging demonstrations, hurling stones at cops, and setting police vehicles and buses on fire.

As the violence that erupted after Friday prayers continued into a second day, the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of paramilitary forces in sensitive areas on Saturday, stating that it “cannot ignore reports of vandalism in several districts of West Bengal.”

BJP’s Big Charge

Bengal BJP leaders on Sunday alleged that several Bengali Hindus living in different pockets of Murshidabad, including Dhulian, were forced to leave their homes and take shelter in the premises of Parallel High School in Malda.

“See the miserable fate of Bengali Hindus in West Bengal, the ‘Hindu Homeland’ created by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee! @MamataOfficial- Under the rule of its insolent appeasement, Hindus themselves are now forced to live as exiles in their own land,” said Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar in an X post.

“Several families from Dhulian, Murshidabad, have been forced to leave their homes and take shelter in the premises of Parallel High School in Malda due to the harassment of radical fundamentalist miscreants,” he added.

West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari echoed the same claim, saying, “More than 400 Hindus from Dhulian, Murshidabad driven by fear of religiously driven bigots were forced to flee across the river and take shelter at Par Lalpur High School, Deonapur-Sovapur GP, Baisnabnagar, Malda.”

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged the people to maintain the law and order situation in the state and blamed “some political parties” for “trying to misuse religion for political gain.”