A war of words erupted between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP on Wednesday, over state minister Udayan Guha’s indirect jab at the Prime Minister and Operation Sindoor, ahead of Modi’s scheduled visit to Alipurduar in north Bengal on Thursday.

Speaking at a government event in Dinhata on Tuesday, Guha, minister for north bengal development, said, “Earlier some people used to trade in tea, now they are doing the business of vermilion. Some used to sell hot tea, now hot vermilion is flowing in their blood. They are coming all the way to Alipurduar in North Bengal to sell that vermilion.”

He accused the Prime Minister of trying to deepen religious divisions. “Don’t try to inject poison into the people in this way. Don’t try to create division among people by injecting poison into the people... by injecting religious poison.”

Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, described the comments as “treason” and demanded Guha’s removal from the cabinet.

“Guha, has made a comment that is not only utterly condemnable but amounts to treason! At a time when the entire nation is celebrating the success of Operation Sindoor — Udayan Guha, a minister in the West Bengal government, is saying that 'Sindoor is being sold as a business.' It is an insult to every martyr who was killed in the Islamist terrorist attack in Pahalgam, an insult to India’s security forces! For such a disgraceful and reprehensible comment, the Chief Minister of West Bengal @MamataOfficial must immediately remove Udayan Guha from the cabinet,” Majumdar wrote on X.

Bengal BJP general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay said, "The true face of the TMC is out. It’s been over 24 hours since the remark surfaced, yet not a single word of condemnation has come from the Trinamool Congress. It shows that the party stands by Udayan Guha’s comment. Once again, TMC proves itself to be anti-national, pro-terrorist, and pro-Pakistan."

While the TMC has backed the Centre’s military action under Operation Sindoor, several of its leaders have accused the BJP of politicising the operation.

Earlier, TMC Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose said, "For the BJP to try to politicise Operation Sindoor through political rallies is highly unacceptable. It is the politics of spectacle, it is the politics of drama and it is the politics of histrionics."

The BJP’s West Bengal unit echoed the sentiment on social media: “Udayan Guha stoops to new lows — mocking PM Modi’s humble beginnings, belittling Indian Army’s valor, and branding Operation Sindoor against Pakistani terrorists as a ‘Sindoor business’ and a ‘religious stunt.’ This isn’t a slip — it’s a calculated insult to every soldier and citizen. But Mamata won’t dare touch him. Why? Because Udayan Guha is her goon-master in North Bengal — the man who spreads terror, unleashes violence, and rigs democracy through fear. His family’s legacy? Party-hopping, vote suppression, and political thuggery. No wonder Mamata shields him — thugs are prized assets in her toolkit of tyranny.”

Guha’s comments have reignited scrutiny over his past remarks.

In August 2024, he threatened those demanding CM Mamata Banerjee’s resignation following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

“Those who are attacking Mamata Banerjee, pointing fingers at her, and demanding her resignation will never succeed. Those pointing fingers at Mamata Banerjee will be broken and crushed,” Guha had said in a viral video.

He faced flak for comments on women participating in a ‘Night Freedom Rally’ protesting the same incident. “Don’t call me if your husband beats you up,” he had said of the women at the rally.

In November, 2021 Guha's remarks about BSF also triggered outrage. "We have seen the kind of atrocities that BSF [personnel] perpetrates on people. A child who has witnessed his mother being touched inappropriately under the garb of frisking, when she returns from the field, can never be patriotic, no matter how many times you chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' in front of him. These incidents give birth to anti-social elements," Guha had said back then.