Senior Bengal BJP leader and former Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh has refused to budge from his stated position accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of harbouring fundamentalist elements in the State for pursuing her vote bank politics.

Singh who was on Friday summoned by the State Police but evade appearance at the Jagaddal Police Station in North 24 Parganas reiterated his stance on Friday saying he had only expressed his views regarding the threat perception on State Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari accusing the Chief Minister of allowing fundamentalist elements to carve out dens in the State.

Singh had earlier said that “Mamata Banerjee has joined hands with the jihadi elements in order to get rid of her political opponents … she wants to eliminate Suvendu Adhikari before the 2026 Assembly elections … because she knows that once she can do that her road to victory will be clear.”

Singh’s statement came almost in tandem with central intelligence reports that some extremist groups of Bangladesh were making plans to attack Adhikari for his “plain speak” against the fundamentalist elements who were daydreaming of dismembering India.

Adhikari however said that if there was any threat from the organizations like Lashkar e Toiba or Harkat ul Mujahideen then the people of Bengal and India would protect him.

“I was earlier attacked by the CPIM and TMC … now I hear that the terrorist outfits are targeting me but the people of Bengal have always responded against such actions ... Let the subversive activists do their job, and I will do mine… and if there is an attack then the people will give a reply,” he said.

Referring to the recent arrests of terror moles from Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas --- by the Assam and Jammu and Kashmir Police --- and subsequent revelations that they had acquired aadhar cards, pan cards and even passports and voter ID cards, Singh said that mos4t of the civic volunteers who had been appointed to assist the police by the Trinamool Congress Government were members of Jamaat.

“You will find Jamaat terrorists in every police station. Ninety percent of the civic volunteers who check our passports are Jamaat supporters … it is unfortunate that the Assam Police are capturing terrorists in Bengal. They work for the country whereas the Bengal Police only work for the State and the party,” Singh said.

Subsequently a police complaint was filed against the former Barrackpore MP by a local TMC leader who alleged that Singh’s defamatory comments had blemished the Chief Minister’s image and caused injury to her.

Meanwhile, Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim once again accused Singh and other BJP leaders for trying to malign the Mamata Banerjee Government saying there was no terrorist in Bengal.

 “There is no terrorist in Bengal … it is the ploy of these BJP leaders who have been repeatedly defeated in the elections to malign the TMC Government,” he said.