WB BJP chief uses slang against Rahul, Congress, TMC unite in protest

The West Bengal Congress unit on Monday lodged a police complaint against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari for his alleged "distasteful and derogatory remarks" aimed at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

In a video clip that recently went viral, Adhikari, seemingly answering a question on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY) which entered Bihar from West Bengal on Monday morning, is heard making abusive remarks about Gandhi, mockingly calling him 'Haridas Pal' (a nobody in colloquial Bengali), and describing him using a slang term common to both Hindi and Bengali, and most often taken to mean 'idiot'.

The purported video also shows Adhikari angrily asking what kind of 'stove' the BJNY entourage uses to make tea that requires coal to light it, presumably forgetting that the English word for the traditional 'chulha' is also stove.

Though the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh has posted it on his X handle to register the party's protest at the language used by Adhikari — once a senior TMC leader and close associate of chief minister Mamata Banerjee — who later joined the BJP and defeated her under controversial circumstances during the 2021 Assembly elections.

"We have filed a police complaint against Suvendu Adhikari for making distasteful and derogatory remarks against our leader Rahul Gandhi. This behaviour is unacceptable and defamatory. We have urged the police to take immediate action," state Congress leader Suvankar Sarkar told PTI.

The Congress also demanded an unconditional apology from Adhikari. The police complaint was lodged at Siliguri police station in North Bengal. When approached for his comment, Adhikari reportedly declined.

Apart from Ghosh, several TMC leaders also shared the video clip and denounced Adhikari's remarks, asserting that the practice of using abusive language against political adversaries must cease.

"We strongly condemn Suvendu Adhikari's remarks against Rahul Gandhi. This reflects the BJP's culture and mentality. Regardless of one's political stance, this is not an acceptable method or language for disagreement. Bengal Congress leaders, who are busy opposing the TMC, should take note of the BJP leader's comments," Ghosh said.

In his X post, he wrote in Bengali, "Is this language? What language is the gaddar (traitor, meaning Adhikari) attacking Rahul Gandhi in? This kind of incivility and lack of culture in politics needs to stop. How low will the state Congress leaders stoop to make the BJP happy that they are digesting this? Suvendu's ugly politics is now being exposed. We strongly protest such sick language."

The Bengal BJP unit, however, opted not to comment on the issue.

With inputs from agencies