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"Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and MLA Manoranjan Byapari has courted controversy with his anti-Bihar tirade at a public meeting. In a video that went viral on Monday, 14 March, the MLA referred to the people from Bihar as a bimaari (disease), adding that Bengal should be a "disease-free" place.
"We don't want diseases. Make Bengal disease-free. Jai Bangla, Jai Didi Mamata Banerjee," he added.
Reacting to the anti-Bihari rant, BJP MLA and former TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari addressed actor-politician from Bihar, Shatrughan Sinha, and wrote, "Your new party colleague is very transparent about his feelings towards Biharis."
"First the party leader Mamata Banerjee labels Biharis and UPites as 'Bohiragotos' (outsiders) and now this clarion call to make Bengal free of Biharis," he added.
This comes as Sinha on Tuesday officially switched to the TMC.
Later, Byapari attempted to clarify his statement by saying, "In a Bhasha Chetna Samiti meeting, people talked about sending me to Bangladesh as I speak Bengali... Ain't I supposed to say anything back? I didn't say 'Bihari'," reported ANI.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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