BJP leader and actor Mithun Chakraborty set off a debate in West Bengal political circles after he claimed that 38 MLAs from the ruling Trinamool Congress party were in touch with his party.
The veteran Bollywood star claimed that over 20 of those legislators were in direct contact with him.
The comments come at a crucial time when the ruling TMC is busy responding to corruption allegations against its leader Partha Chatterjee.
Minister of Commerce and Industries Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate for a scam during his previous stint as the Education Minister.
TMC reacts
Reacting sharply to Mithun Chakraborty’s claims, TMC MP Santanu Sen opined that the actor-turned-politician may have lost his sanity.
Mr. Sen pointed out that the BJP, which had won 77 seats in the 2021 election, could not retain all those legislators and that their number was down to 70.
BJP is not communal
Mr. Chakraborty said that Superstar Khan trio Salman, Shah Rukh, and Aamir are equally loved by Muslims and non-Muslims in BJP-ruled states, and this shows that BJP has nothing against the Muslim community. The BJP has not incited any riot anywhere either, he added.