"He insulted Bengalis...": TMC's Abdur Rahim Bakshi clarifies controversial 'acid' remarks against Shankar Ghosh

Malda (West Bengal) [India], September 8 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abdur Rahim Bakshi has issued a clarification after sparking a controversy with his reported remarks threatening to "pour acid" into BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh's mouth.
Bakshi said his comments were in response to Ghosh's alleged statement in the Assembly that "all migrant workers are Rohingya and Bangladeshi." He argued that such remarks insulted Bengalis.
"...In the Vidhan Sabha, a BJP MLA made a statement that all migrant workers are Rohingya and Bangladeshi. This is completely false. We're Indians, we're Bengalis... How could he say that? He insulted Bengalis and Bengal... That's why I made that statement. A Bengali MLA can't say such things against Bengalis. That's why I suggested pouring acid down his throat, so his throat closes and he never says these things again," Bakshi told ANI.
BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh strongly condemned the remarks, questioning Bakshi's legitimacy as a legislator, and likening the situation in West Bengal to a "Taliban regime".
"I don't know whether they are called MLAs or criminals... You can judge how Mamata Banerjee runs this state by this MLA's statement that he will pour acid on the BJP MLAs... The hooliganism spread all over West Bengal can be compared with the Taliban regime. Mamata Banerjee is trying to establish such a regime through appeasement politics and muscle power... These TMC MLAs like Rahim Bakshi are always threatening to kill us... Such threats will not stop us from working for the people and opposing their government," Ghosh said.
TMC MLA Bakshi's remarks drew criticism from both the BJP and the Congress.
"I have nothing to say about him. He will go to jail as soon as the BJP comes to power... He is anti-national..." West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said.
BJP's Pradeep Bhandari said that party workers would not be intimidated. "... This clearly shows that TMC wants to threaten the people of Bengal who expose their support of infiltrators and Rohingyas for their vote bank... I want to tell Mamata Banerjee that she can do whatever she wants. BJP workers will not bow down, be afraid, or stop, because they believe in PM Modi's development vision..." he said.
West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar also condemned Bakshi's words, urging the TMC to take strict action against him.
"...I strongly condemn it. What is the difference between him and a criminal?... I appeal to the public to identify such people and make them face defeat in the elections...I appeal to his party (Trinamool Congress) to take strict action against him and suspend him from the party..." Sarkar said.
Meanwhile, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh defended Bakshi, claiming that his statement was not meant to be taken literally and that he had been referring to a song "Ek, Do, Teen" from the movie "Tezaab" while criticising Shankar Ghosh.
"I don't know what he said. There was a song 'Ek Do Teen' in the movie 'Tezaab'... What Shankar Ghosh is saying is foul...Abdur Rahim Bakshi gets angry, but he is not talking about physically using acid on him...He is counting how many times Shankar Ghosh is doing something wrong by counting 'Ek, Do, Teen'," he said. (ANI)