The Trinamool Congress has launched a “Bangla Birodhi BJP (anti-Bengal BJP)” campaign online after a leader of the saffron party, Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar, allegedly called 19th-century social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy a “British agent” and a “fake reformer”.

At a public event, Parmar claimed that Roy worked to divide Indian society and was “enslaved” by the British as part of a “cycle of religious conversions”.

The TMC’s official X handle posted a strong condemnation on Sunday, stating, “BJP’s obsession with defaming Bengali stalwarts reveals one thing their Bengal-phobia is real. When you can’t match Bengal’s intellect, you resort to insulting it. Bengal will answer loud and clear! #BanglaBirodhiBJP.”

TMC minister Sashi Panja said, “Raja Ram Mohan Roy, we worship him… He was a reformer, a true reformer. And what does the BJP say? They say that he’s a fake reformer… The BJP, you are continuously damaging and defaming the icons of Bengal. Bengal will retaliate through democratic means and that is why Bengal calls you Bengal Birodhi BJP.”

TMC spokesperson Aroop Chakraborty linked the remark on Roy to a broader historical disrespect.

“Who is saying this? Those who themselves are a Dalal (agent) of the British,” Chakraborty said, connecting the incident to previous controversies. “The British have been pushed back by the Bengalis, Bengal will make the BJP understand again, in 2026,” he added.

Parmar has apologised in Madhya Pradesh saying that he had “accidentally misinterpreted” Raja Ram Mohan Roy while speaking about Birsa Munda, a tribal icon. The BJP leader described the remark as a “slip of tongue” and said that he respected Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

But the BJP’s West Bengal unit is yet to issue any statement on the controversy.