The Congress, meanwhile, lodged formal complaints against Adhikari at the Siliguri and Raiganj police stations in north Bengal for his “abusive and derogatory language”.
The Congress leader is currently touring Bihar and West Bengal as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
State party leader Soumya Aich Roy said it was unbecoming of a person holding a constitutional post to use such language against a politician. “Suvendu Adhikari is the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly. Therefore he holds a constitutional post. How can a person holding such a post speak in such language,” Roy asked.
“This goes to show the kind of upbringing he had. The BJP is known for using offensive and derogatory language against political leaders. We strongly condemn the use of such language against our leader. If an MP used such words in Parliament, he would have been suspended,” said the Congress leader.
TMC leaders too took to social media to condemn Adhikari’s remarks. State minister Shashi Panja posted on X, formerly Twitter, “@SuvenduWB, such offensive language speaks volumes about your objectionable character! Derogatory remarks expose a legacy tainted with arrogance and hooliganism in your party. Mr. Adhikari, you better not defile Bengal’s culture by spitting such vulgar terms!”
In a similar post, senior TMC leader Aroop Biswas said, “@SuvenduWB shamelessly uses offensive language! If these are the kinds of crass individuals that the BJP harbors, they are utterly incompatible with Bengal’s rich culture. While BJP may embrace such rugged politicians, we will never let such a toxic culture pollute our soil!”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a BJP event on Sunday, Adhikari had said, “Who is Rahul Gandhi? You have been asking me questions about him for the last four days. He is a haridas pal (useless person). An (expletive). He recently made a comment that you can use coal on a stove to make tea. When a person has no sense then why should people count on him? His party is insignificant in West Bengal.”
There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on the matter.
Later in the day, Adhikari said he only called Rahul Gandhi an idiot. “I called him an idiot. If he speaks like an idiot then what can I do? I have not said anything else. Boke ke toh bokai bole (an idiot is only called an idiot),” said Adkhikari during a press conference at the BJP office in Kolkata.