The BJP’s Nandigram MLA and leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday indicated his party could create problems for lakhs from Bengal who work in BJP-ruled states, prompting many within the saffron camp to say the party was yet to understand Bengali sentiments.

“Forty lakh people from Bengal work outside (the state). If they (Trinamul) think that they can boycott BJP workers in Keshpur from having tea… even we can stop them from working in Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Surat…. But that isn’t BJP’s policy and we won’t do that,” Adhikari told journalists.

The MLA was reacting to an allegation that Trinamul’s local unit in Mahishda, which is part of the Keshpur Assembly seat in West Midnapore, had issued a social boycott fiat against Opposition workers.

The alleged notice addressed specifically to tea stall owners, names 18 persons, mostly BJP supporters and a few CPM workers, who cannot be sold tea without Trinamul’s permission.

While BJP leaders have condemned the alleged boycott call, Adhikari’s reaction has shocked them. “The poll results have proved how alienated our party is from the people of Bengal. Suvenduda’s statement will only aggravate it further,” a state BJP office-bearer said.

“This (Adhikari’s statement) sounds like a threat to poor migrating labourers of Bengal. This cannot be the language of the leader of Opposition ,” said Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Trinamul MP.

Local Trinamul leaders said the boycott notice was fake. Dev Adhikari, Trinamul MP from Ghatal that covers Mahishda, also tweeted that party leaders had not issued the notice.

He said: “I have personally spoken to my party members in Keshpur after having seen this and they too have reconfirmed that such a notice has never been issued by any TMC party office/ members.”