As Pahalgam attack gives fresh ammo to BJP, Suvendhu Adhikari leads the charge

Indian Express

27-04-2025

After the Pahalgam attack, the spotlight in West Bengal has squarely been on BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Over the last four days, Adhikari, who is the leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, has met the families of those killed in the attack, rallied against Pakistan, and burnt the flag of the neighbouring country in front of the West Bengal Assembly.
BJP sources say, Adhikari will ramp up this rhetoric. The public and aggressive stance, they add, is building into the BJP's narrative and campaign in Bengal. The state is due to vote in early 2026.
After the attack on Tuesday, Adhikari said on X, 'Not Language Difference… Not Regional Identity… Not Caste Barrier… Only Question Asked — What is your Religion? Once confirmed HINDU, the Tourists were fired at indiscriminately in Pahalgam… My heart goes out to the Hindu Victims who lost their lives, my Hindu Brothers and Sisters who received bullet injuries and the bereaved and traumatized family members. Hindu Hindu Bhai Bhai… Om Shanti.'
Then on Thursday, Adhikari burnt the Pakistan national flag in front of the West Bengal Assembly and said the Indian Army 'would enter Pakistan' and 'kill them'.
He went on to claim that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had 'never blamed Pakistan' for the Pahalgam attack.
Earlier that day, Adhikari had posted a photo of a wireless network system disc on X, alleging that two persons from Kashmir were living in Baruipur and engaging in 'suspicious' activities. Adhikari shared the address of the flat where the two men live and alleged that they had 'installed a NanoBeam 2AC compact and high-performance wireless network bridge at the rooftop'.
In an official statement, the Baruipur police said the two persons —one Hindu and one Muslim—had installed a simple Jio Fiber network on the terrace and dismissed the BJP leader's allegations.
How the BJP is laying the ground
The 2019 Lok Sabha polls were crucial for the BJP in West Bengal, with the party putting up its best-ever performance in the state by winning 18 of 42 seats.
In the Assembly polls two years later, the BJP managed to get 77 seats out of 292 to emerge as the principal Opposition party in the state. But the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 were a roadblock, with the BJP's tally plunging to 12. The party also lost all of the 10 bypolls that were held subsequently.
In the midst of this, the targeting of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh came as an opportunity for the beleaguered BJP unit in the state.
After the arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh late November, the BJP in Bengal has been organising protests across the state to 'unite Hindus'.
In December, Adhikari and BJP leaders, alongside 50 Hindutva organisations, gathered in Kolkata to call for 'Hindu unity'. At the meet, Adhikari said: 'In Uttar Pradesh Hindus have united under Yogi Adityanath ji… In Haryana, Hindus have united… In Maharashtra, the land of Chatrapati Shivaji, Hindus have united…' Adhikari said.
Adhikari has also been repeatedly calling for a dedicated 'Sanatan Board' to 'safeguard the rights and interests of Hindus'.
Adhikari's rhetoric is only becoming sharper, with the BJP seeking to portray the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) as 'anti-Hindu'.
In March, Adhikari described Bengal Speaker Biman Banerjee as 'anti-Hindu' after the latter refused to allow an adjournment motion moved by BJP leaders on the alleged attacks on Hindus in the Birbhum district during Holi.
The same month, Adhikari declared the BJP would come to power in Bengal after the 2026 Assembly polls and 'oust' muslim MLAs from the Assembly.
And earlier this month, Adhikari announced the construction of a Ram temple in Nandigram district's Sonachura town.