‘They were eating only poha’: Why Kailash Vijayvargiya suspected workers were Bangladeshis

Vijayvargiya said, "I suspected these workers were residents of Bangladesh. Two days after I became suspicious, they stopped working at my house. I have not filed any police complaint yet. I only mentioned this incident to warn people."

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: January 24, 2020 04:55 PM IST

5 min read

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Vijayvargiya, the BJP in-charge of West Bengal, said this during a meeting with the party’s MPs and MLAs from the state. (File photo)

BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has said that the “strange” food habits of construction labourers working at his house gave away that they were Bangladeshis. “They were eating only `poha’ (flattened rice) all the time. Their strange eating habits made me suspect their nationality,” said Vijayvargiya at a seminar held in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in Indore on Thursday.

Vijayvargiya also said conversations with the workers, their supervisor and the building contractor confirmed his suspicion. “I suspected these workers were residents of Bangladesh. Two days after I became suspicious, they stopped working at my house. I have not filed any police complaint yet. I only mentioned this incident to warn people,” PTI quoted Vijayvargiya as saying.

Also Read | ‘Bangladeshis don’t even know poha’: Kailash Vijayvargiya’s remark about ‘strange eating habits’ sparks reactions

In a video of the seminar, which is viral, Vijayvargiya is heard saying: “Ek satya ghatna bataana chaahta hoon. Sharanaarthee aur ghusapaithiye lagbhag do crore ke aas paas hain desh mein, ek crore toh lagbhag bangal mein hi hain. Woh aas paas hain par ghusapaithiye bhee kahaan-kahaan hain iski aap kalpana bhi nahin kar sakte hain. Iska ek udaaharan mein bataana chaahta hoon ki mere bete Kalpesh kee shaadee hai, usaka room ban raha tha aur main ghar 9 baje pahuncha aur hamaare yahaan jab bhee bhojan ke samay koee aata hai to use ham bhojan karavaate hain. Jab mai unke saamne aaya, wo ek thaalee mein kaaphee sankhya mein pohe lekar kha rahe the. Mainne kaha yeh pohe kyon kha rahe hain is waqt. Jab poochha ki yeh rotee kyon nahin kha rahe hain to unhonne kaha ki rotee nahin khaate yeh keval pohe khaate hain. Mujhe shanka huee ki yeh kaun se desh ke hain jo roti nahin khaate. (I want to tell a true incident. Around two crores refugees and infiltrators are there in our country, around one crore is in Bengal itself. They are around but you cannot even imagine where all they are, I will give you an example. My son Kalpesh is getting married, so his room is being built. One day I reached home around 9:00 pm. Whenever someone comes during our meal, we feed them. When I came in front of the labourers, they were eating a lot of poha in a big plate. I asked why were they eating poha at this time and when not eat bread. They said they do not eat bread, they only eat poha. I got suspicious that which country they belong to where they do not eat chapati).”

He further said, “Jab maine poochha ki kahaan ke ho tum log, tab unke supervisor ne bataya ki sir yeh Bengal ke hain. Maine poocha Bengal mein kahan se hain, kyunki maine toh chappa chappa chhan rakha hai, tab bhee woh kuchh bata nahin pae. Mujhe shanka huee phir poochha kahaan kee ho tum log. Tab thekedaar ne kaha ki shaayad kaheen baahar ke hain. Mainne usse kaha ki tumne mere yahaan inhen kaise kaam par lagaaya toh usane bataaya ki yah kafi saste majadoor hai. Dono time khaana aur Rs 300 mein din bhar kaam karate hain jabaki yahaan ke majadoor Rs 600 lene ke baad keval 5:00 baje tak hee kaam karate hain. (When I asked where are you from, their supervisor said, sir, they are from Bengal. I asked which district of Bengal, they couldn’t say anything. I again got suspicious and asked where are you from? Then the contractor said maybe they are outsiders. Then I asked him how come you have made them work at my home. Then the contractor told me that they come very cheap. They work for only Rs 300 and served two-time food, however, our labourers take Rs 600 for the same and work only till 5 pm).”

What’s strange about poha, sir?

Claiming that a Bangladeshi terrorist was keeping a watch on him for the last one and a half years, the BJP leader said, “Whenever I go out, six armed security personnel follow me. What is happening in this country? Will outside people enter and spread so much terror?” he asked.

Reacting to his claim, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bala Bacchan said the state government was committed to protecting everyone, including Vijayvargiya. When pressed for a specific answer, the minister told reporters in Indore that ``doodh ka doodh aur pani ka pani ho jayega.”

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Talking about the CAA, he said, “Don’t get confused by rumours. The CAA is in the interest of the country. This law will provide asylum to genuine refugees and identify intruders who are a threat to the country’s internal security.”

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