Anant Maharaj Calls President, PM, Governor ‘Pakistanis & Bangladeshis’

Shashikesh Roy, MP, 29 Dec 2025, Cooch Behar: BJP Rajya Sabha member and Greater Cooch Behar leader Nagendra Ray, popularly known as Anant Maharaj, has triggered a major controversy by calling some leaders holding top constitutional positions “Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.” The controversial remarks were made by Anant Maharaj during a public programme at Ada Bari Ghat in the Sitai constituency under the Dinhata subdivision of Cooch Behar district on Saturday.

While addressing the crowd, Anant Maharaj spoke about the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and alleged that leaders demanding identity documents from citizens were themselves foreigners. Referring to statements made by the Home Minister on the NRC and detention camps, Anant Maharaj said:

“…The people asking us to show documents are themselves Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. The President is Pakistani, the Prime Minister and the Governor of West Bengal are Pakistani and Bangladeshi. They are telling us to show documents, but this is our land and we are residents here.”

The remarks have immediately triggered sharp political reactions across the state, raising significant concerns within the BJP, particularly as the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections approach. The statements, coming from a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, have drawn attention to the party’s internal discipline and its political strategy in North Bengal.

Anant Maharaj is a prominent leader of the Greater Cooch Behar movement, which demands a separate state or Union Territory. Though he supported the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly elections, reports suggest his relationship with the party has deteriorated since the 2024 elections, making his latest comments politically significant.

Local BJP leaders, however, have distanced themselves from the controversy. District BJP vice president Biraj Bose said he was unaware of the statement and described it as Anant Maharaj’s personal opinion. Trinamool Congress (TMC) district chairman Girindra Nath Barman condemned the remarks, emphasizing that such statements against constitutional authorities were unacceptable. Barman also reiterated the TMC’s position on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), stating that no genuine citizen’s name should be deleted from the electoral rolls.

Anant Maharaj’s remarks, especially against top constitutional figures, have further fueled the ongoing political debate on the NRC, citizenship issues, and the broader political landscape in West Bengal.