Yusuf Pathan's absence after Murshidabad violence draws ire from within Trinamool: 'Can't say it’s not my area'

Violence erupted in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district following protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, leading to widespread unrest and the displacement of several residents.

In response, the Calcutta high court has formed a three-member committee to oversee the rehabilitation of those affected, while West Bengal governor CV Anand Bose is scheduled to visit the violence-hit areas on Friday. Amid the turmoil, one notable absentee has been Yusuf Pathan — the cricketer-turned-politician and Trinamool Congress MP from the Baharampur constituency — whose silence and absence have drawn attention.

West Bengal’s Murshidabad district has three Lok Sabha constituencies - Jangipur, Murshidabad, and Baharampur - all three of which are represented by Trinamool Congress MPs Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, and Yusuf Pathan, respectively.

The violence, which erupted on April 11, has largely affected areas in the Jangipur constituency’s Suti, Samserganj, and Dhulian areas. While Yusuf Pathan’s constituency has not directly witnessed any violence, the area is not far away from trouble-torn pockets. Thus, his absence has irked many, not just in the Opposition but also in TMC.

So far, 270 people have been arrested in connection with the Murshidabad violence.

What Yusuf Pathan’s fellow TMC MPs said

Abu Taher Khan, Murshidabad’s MP, told The Indian Express that Yusuf Pathan’s absence gives out the wrong message. “He (Yusuf Pathan) is an outsider and is new to politics. He chose to stay away so far. But this gives a wrong message to the people. Our MPs, MLAs and even booth workers are on the ground, reaching out to people,” he said.

“There was a peace meeting in Samserganj. I travelled 100 kms to reach there. Khalilur Rehman as well as a number of TMC MLAs were present there. But he was absent. One cannot say it’s not my area and it’s not my people and that’s why I won’t go,” he added.

Another TMC leader and an MLA from Bharatpur, Humayun Kabir, also expressed disappointment at Pathan for not being present with people at such times. While speaking with The Indian Express, Kabir said that Pathan acted according to his whims and fancy. “He is a renowned cricketer who lives in Gujarat. He defeated (Congress leader) Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Lok Sabha elections by the people’s votes. This gentleman is now playing games with voters. He is behaving as per his whims and fancy,” he said.

Kabir even went as far as saying that if Pathan’s participation doesn’t increase, he will approach the party leadership to make sure that he doesn’t get a ticket next time. “It has almost been a year since Yusuf Pathan became an MP. If he doesn’t change his behaviour and try to reach out to the people, I will approach our party top brass against him. I would try to ensure that next time he doesn’t get a party ticket. He is not a part of the development initiatives of Mamata Banerjee and he is also not standing by the people in the time of such a crisis,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.

Yusuf Pathan was last seen in his constituency during Ramazan when he attended some iftar parties, the report added citing some locals.

Yusuf Pathan’s “tea” post

The criticism over Pathan’s lack of initiative to calm the situation in his neighbouring constituency by his own party comes after he shared a post on his social media, in which he was seen sipping tea. The post was captioned, “Easy afternoons, good chai, and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment.”

Pathan was called out by several people on the internet and also the Opposition in the state for the seemingly tone-deaf post while the violence in his constituency district had killed three and injured hundreds.

In the post, Pathan was seen sipping tea and relaxing around an estate. The post came a day after protests over the Waqf Act in Murshidabad turned violent.

Following that, the other two posts shared by Pathan’s account since then include a greeting for Bengali New Year on April 15 and his son’s birthday post shared on Thursday. So far, Pathan has not shared anything on his social media regarding the violence in Murshidabad, nor has he reportedly visited the affected area or attended any party meeting regarding the matter.