BJP slams Congress over Ajoy Kumar’s ‘Sikkim not part of India’ slip

The controversy erupted after a video of the press briefing surfaced in which Kumar, a former IPS officer and Member of Parliament, was heard making the erroneous reference to Sikkim.

Congress leader Ajoy Kumar, on Wednesday, issued an apology after facing widespread criticism for referring to Sikkim as a “neighbouring country” during a press conference, calling it an unintentional “slip of the tongue.”

“Yesterday, during my press conference, while speaking about India’s ties with neighbouring nations, I accidentally mentioned the name of a state. I sincerely apologise for this unintentional human error,” Kumar said in a statement clarifying his remark.

The controversy erupted after a video of the press briefing surfaced in which Kumar, a former IPS officer and Member of Parliament, was heard making the erroneous reference to Sikkim.

Following this, the BJP, particularly its Sikkim unit, reacted strongly to the gaffe.

Taking to microblogging site X, the BJP Sikkim unit said, “We vehemently denounce the outrageous and ignorant statement made by INC leader Ajoy Kumar, who shockingly referred to Sikkim as a 'neighbouring country'. It is utterly deplorable that a former IPS officer displays such appalling disregard for India’s history and geography.”

The BJP Sikkim unit vehemently denounces the outrageous and ignorant statement made by INC leader Ajoy Kumar, who shockingly referred to Sikkim as a "neighboring country" during his press conference at AICC headquarters today. It is utterly deplorable that a former IPS officer… pic.twitter.com/Uwoi6gTyV4

— BJP Sikkim (@BJP4Sikkim) July 1, 2025

Calling it a “shameful remark,” the BJP demanded that the Congress “educate its leaders to prevent such disgraceful blunders.”

BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla further escalated the criticism, accusing the Congress of “following in the footsteps of Jinnah.”

“Congress is following in the footsteps of Jinnah. It is a 'Jinnahwadi' party. Just like Jinnah wanted an Islamic state and the division of India, Congress advocates for a Sharia Islamic state in some parts and wants the ‘tukde tukde’ of Bharat,” Poonawalla said while speaking to reporters in Delhi.

Referring directly to Kumar’s controversial comment, Poonawalla alleged, “Today, the statement made by Ajoy Kumar that Sikkim is not an integral part of India and is, in fact, a neighbouring nation, shows how he has insulted not just Sikkim but the entire Northeast.”

He further accused the Congress of having a historical pattern of disregarding the northeastern states. “Congress has always been against the Northeast. We have seen how they bombed one of the northeastern states and said 'bye-bye' to Assam in the 1960s,” he said, without providing specifics.

The Congress party has yet to issue an official statement addressing the broader political backlash.