Jadavpur University ABVP row: BJP MLA Sarbori changes stance, says 'BJP has no link’

'Nobody can become a BJP member in the cover of the night.'

With that warning, Jadavpur MLA Sarbori Mukherjee sought to draw a sharp line between her party and the unrest surrounding Jadavpur University, changing her stance two nights after she had threatened a 'night-long carnage' over an attack on ABVP leaders and activists.

In a video posted on social media late Friday, Mukherjee said people were allegedly using saffron colours and BJP flags while operating under the cover of darkness to create disturbances in Jadavpur and malign the party.

She said the BJP was identifying those involved and would take action against them.

The statement came after a dramatic sequence of events on Wednesday night, when Mukherjee had appeared with a group of BJP supporters near the Jadavpur police station following clashes involving Left student outfits and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Mukherjee has now denied entering the Jadavpur University campus or participating in any ABVP programme.

She said she had only accompanied some BJP youths during what she described as a peaceful gathering near the police station before leaving the area.

'How can I enter the campus? I was not on the spot,' she said, adding that the BJP had never been associated with ABVP.

Her explanation followed questions from political rivals over why the Jadavpur MLA was present in an area that falls under the neighbouring Kasba Assembly constituency, particularly amid escalating tension at the university.

Mukherjee also shifted the focus towards alleged Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, accusing them of attempting to operate under the BJP banner and damage the party's image.

The MLA's latest intervention also included a warning to her own supporters. She asked BJP workers not to attack Trinamool offices, indulge in extortion or engage in corrupt practices, stressing that voters in Jadavpur had elected them to build a constituency free from 'fear and terror'.

The controversy has exposed differing positions within the Bengal BJP over the Jadavpur University episode.

Senior BJP leader and Bengal finance minister Swapan Dasgupta on Friday said student agitation should remain in the hands of students and should not be taken over by professional politicians. He argued that political interference had contributed to the situation becoming increasingly unclear.

Dasgupta also condemned the alleged desecration of the Jadavpur University emblem, designed by celebrated artist Nandalal Bose.

'Students' agitation should not be hijacked by people who are professional politicians,' Dasgupta said, arguing that this had contributed to the turmoil at the university.

Tamluk BJP MP Abhijit Ganguly, however, offered a different account of the emblem controversy, saying the damage was accidental and not an act of desecration.

The contrasting responses suggest that Bengal BJP leaders have yet to arrive at a common position on the campus violence, the role of political leaders and the controversy surrounding the university.

The Jadavpur University row has also unfolded at a politically sensitive juncture for the Bengal government, which is little over three months old.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's administration is facing difficulties over the disbursal of financial grants to women under the Annapurna scheme.

Meanwhile, allegations that a section of BJP workers have continued with practices such as extortion have added to the political pressure on the ruling party since it came to power on May 4.

Against that backdrop, Mukherjee's latest statement appears to be an attempt to distance the BJP from the unrest while simultaneously setting boundaries for its own workers, as the party faces growing scrutiny over its conduct in power.