BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, Saturday said Bangladesh ought to be taught a lesson akin to what Israel taught Gaza. Suvendu marched to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata alongside party leaders and several seers, in protest against the killings of two Hindu men, Dipu Das and Amrit Mondal, in the neighbouring country.

“Sabak sikhaana chahiye. Jaise Israel sikhaaya Gaza mein. Uss tareeke se. Hamaare Bharat ke 100 crore Hindu; desh ka Hindu hitt mein chal raha hai sarkar. Sabak sikhaana chahiye. Jaise Operation Sindoor mein Pakistan ko hum logon ne sabak sikhaaya (A lesson should be taught. Like Israel taught in Gaza. Our country’s 100 crore Hindus; the government is being run in the interest of Hindus. A lesson should be taught. Like we taught Pakistan during Operation Sindoor),” he said.

The comments drew criticism from the BJP’s political rivals. The Trinamool Congress wrote on X, “BJP has perfected hate and intolerance into an art form. Their venomous loudmouth, Suvendu Adhikari, just bared his fascist fangs again, spewing genocidal bile by proclaiming that India must teach Muslims a lesson like Israel taught Gaza.”

It called his comments “naked hate speech, a bloodthirsty call for mass murder and ethnic cleansing”. “No FIR. No arrest. No prosecution. No UAPA slapped on this Hitler-in-the-making.”

Trinamool Congress MP and the party’s deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, posted on X, “BJP’s Bengal ‘face’ wants a Gaza-like operation against Bangladesh. Dog whistles that the Narendra Modi government is for ‘Hindus’ only. Dirty politics of divide and rule won’t work in Bengal.”

Congress leader Kapil Sibal also highlighted that Adhikari’s comments had led to “no FIR, no arrest, no prosecution, no UAPA”.