BJP Leaders Cast West Bengal as Crucial to a ‘Civilisational’ Contest, Prompting Opposition Rebuttal

Overview

• BJP national general secretary B. L. Santhosh said “to save India, West Bengal must be won,” framing the state’s politics as a civilisational struggle.
• Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose called the comments absurd and defended Bengal’s civilisational role, citing figures such as Tagore, Vivekananda and Subhas Chandra Bose.
• Santhosh said the process to elect the BJP national president has been underway for eight to nine months and dismissed talk of any conspiracy.
• He accused Opposition parties of weakening constitutional institutions and urged condemnation of any attempts to destabilise the country.
• Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan invoked Quranic teachings on obeying the law and religious freedom, while RSS leader Pradeep Joshi described the Sangh’s vision as an inclusive, civilisational ideal.