Hours after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday- both urging to work towards promoting tourism in the terror hit land, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has stirred controversy with remarks urging Bengalis to avoid visiting Kashmir due to its Muslim-majority population. The statement has drawn sharp criticism for its communal undertones and for undermining efforts to revive tourism in the Kashmir Valley post the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, that claimed at least 26 lives.
"No Bengali should visit Kashmir. Don’t go to Muslim-majority areas. Go to Jammu instead if are visiting that state. Go to Himachal- our dev bhumi, Uttarakhand, or Odisha instead." He referenced the Pahalgam terror attack to justify his stance, alleging that "body parts and sindoor were checked by the terrorists before killing”, highlighting that only Hindus were targeted and killed by the terrorists.
The comments were in direct response to Omar Abdullah’s invitation to West Bengal residents to visit Jammu and Kashmir, extended during his meeting with Banerjee at the state secretariat, Nabanna. Abdullah’s visit to Kolkata was part of a broader effort to boost tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, which has faced setbacks following the Pahalgam attack. Mamata Banerjee had even urged people of Bengal to visit Kashmir while urging the Centre to ensure security of the tourists in the valley. “I love Kashmir, I love the people of Kashmir. People across the world should go to Kashmir and the chief minister has assured security for all. The centre is responsible for the security there and it’s their job to ensure that. If need be Centre should meet with Omar Ji and decide on the best strategy”, Banerjee had said before the press on Thursday with Omar Abdullah standing by his side. She even expressed her intent to visit Kashmir after the Durga Puja festivities.
Adhikari’s remarks, however, have been widely condemned as divisive and counterproductive. “The terrorists attacked Pahalgam to paralyse Kashmir’s economy, and Suvendu is handing them exactly what they wanted. It is a disgraceful, calculated act of communal provocation. This is the very same BJP that wants ‘secular’ erased from the Constitution. Such statements have no place in a democratic country. We will not let BJP burn bridges between Indians. Not in Kashmir. Not in Bengal. Not anywhere”, Trinamool Congress (TMC) posted on ‘X’
The controversy adds to Adhikari’s history of polarising rhetoric. Earlier this year, he faced a privilege motion in the West Bengal Assembly for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Banerjee. Last year after losing out to TMC in the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal, Adhikari had called for Hindu unity alone dismissing his party supremo Narendra Modi’s slogan “sabka saath, sabka viswas”. Adhikari had said “there’s not need for everyone’s support, we will stand by those who stand by us”.
