TMC’s Saket Gokhale Slams BJP For ‘Passing Off’ Political Analyst As Party Leader After TV Debate Row

A political storm erupted on Thursday after a News18 India debate went viral, showing political analyst Tauseef Ahmed Khan being removed from a live show by anchor Rubika Liyaquat for allegedly making an obscene hand gesture. As the BJP launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC), calling Khan a “TMC leader” and linking the incident to women’s safety in West Bengal, the TMC hit back strongly, accusing the BJP of deliberate misinformation.

Earlier in the day, the BJP shared the video on X, claiming that Khan, identified by them as a TMC leader, had behaved obscenely toward a woman anchor. “TMC model is a textbook example of how a government must NEVER function… TMC leader Touseef Ahmed Khan made obscene hand gestures on live television… West Bengal deserves better,” the party wrote.

Responding to this, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale dismissed the BJP’s claim as a “toolkit tactic,” stressing that the man had no link to the party. “ ‘TMC Leader’? BJP clearly cannot see that this man was introduced by the channel as a ‘political analyst’,” Gokhale wrote. He clarified that the TMC does not send representatives to that particular show and said the BJP was “inviting a random ‘political analyst’ and passing them off as a ‘TMC leader.’”

Gokhale further alleged that the BJP was using “proxies” to attack the TMC. “This man has NO connection with the TMC. Whether he did this on BJP’s request is for them to clarify,” he added.

The incident unfolded during a heated debate on issues related to West Bengal and the SIR exercise, where Khan’s remarks and alleged gesture prompted the anchor to remove him from the show. The clip has since triggered widespread outrage online.