CPI(M) demands legal action against BJP MLA for remarks on indigenous people
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called for the arrest of Tofazzal Hossain over alleged derogatory comments about the Triprasa community.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) has demanded legal action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Tofazzal Hossain for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the indigenous Triprasa community in Tripura. According to reports by Hindustan Times and The News Mill, a video of Hossain purportedly mocking the customs and food habits of the indigenous people went viral on social media.
CPI(M) Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury stated that the party's youth wing has filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the West Agartala Police Station. Chaudhury called for the same legal sections used against social media influencer Amir Sohail, who was arrested by Delhi Police for alleged racial remarks against people from Tripura, to be applied against Hossain.
Reacting to the video, BJP general secretary Bipin Debbarma said the statement was not right and noted that every community has its own lifestyle and food habits. Debbarma said the party would take the matter to the party president and the chief minister.
TIPRA Motha party founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma demanded that the MLA apologise to the people of the state. He said that whether people eat chicken, mutton, or pork, it is their culture and taste.
Chaudhury also accused BJP workers of forcing opposition candidates to withdraw nomination papers in the Ambassa Nagar Panchayat area during municipal elections. He alleged these incidents, which he claimed began on October 31, involved the obstruction of candidates and the occupation of the Returning Officer’s office in several areas, including Ranirbazar, Jirania, and Mohanpur.