If you think fish can become a weapon only in a brawl between Unhygienix and Fulliautomatix in the Asterix comics series, think again. The Trinamool Congress has scaled up its attack on what it calls the BJP's anti-Bengal mindset by hurling the Bengali diet staple at its political opponent.

Bengal's ruling party on Monday released a video pegged on a recent diktat by the BJP’s Patpargunj MLA Ravinder Singh Negi in the Delhi Assembly warning fish-sellers not to open their shops on Tuesdays.

“The BJP’s deep-seated disdain for Bengal is becoming more evident by the day,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s party said in a video released on its X (formerly Twitter) handle.

The video has a montage of clips from speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former BJP MP and actor Paresh Rawal and Negi. The Trinamool cited the clips as evidence of the BJP’s Bangla-birodhi (anti-Bengal) stance.

The video claims Modi had in a public rally likened fish-eaters to Mughals. “In the month of Sawan showing videos they are displaying the attitude from the days of Mughals and trying to put the people down,” Modi is heard saying in the video, which does not mention the word fish. The clip also does not mention the date on which Modi made the comment.

In the run-up to last year’s Lok Sabha polls, Modi had made a similar comment in a speech in Jammu. The speech came a day after a video of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav eating fish while riding a helicopter during the Lok Sabha poll campaign had surfaced. Another video of Tejashwi’s father, Lalu Prasad, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi eating “Champaran mutton” at Lalu's residence had also been released on social media.

Rawal, who recently played a fish-loving Tarini Charan Bandyopadhyay in an adaptation of a Satyajit Ray story, had during the Gujarat poll campaign in 2022 made a controversial statement.

“Gas cylinders are expensive but the will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?” Rawal said in a campaign meeting. Facing a backlash, the actor had to later apologise.

“Of course the fish is not the issue. As Gujaratis do cook and eat fish. But let me clarify. By Bengali I meant illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya. But still if I have hurt your feelings and sentiment I do apologise,” Rawal wrote on his X handle on December 2, 2022.

The latest in the series according to the Trinamul is Negi’s diktat. Known as a rabble-rouser, Negi, had made similar comments in the past and also forced Muslim shopkeepers to shut down their shops during Navratri. During the Delhi Assembly poll campaign, Modi had touched Negi’s feet thrice during a public meeting.

In a video released on its Instagram handle two days ago, Trinamool’s Riju Dutta explained the significance of fish for the Bengali people.

“Fish is an essential part of our daily diet we Bengalis buy fish on Saraswati Puja and even during Durga Puja which is our greatest festival falls on a Tuesday should we not consume fish? During Maa Kali’s bhog we offer her fish and mutton,” Dutta explains in the video. “Now BJP on Tuesdays will take away fish from Maa Kali’s bhog. BJP does not know or understand the culture and ethos of Bengal. And the people who dream of conquering Bengal by taking away fish from Bengalis are basically living in fool’s paradise. In the coming days the Bengalis of Bengal will give you a befitting reply that you will never forget.”

Trinamool MP Shatrughan Sinha, who had been a Union minister during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as prime minister, had supported a ban on meat and fish over a month ago while seemihgly backing the uniform civil code introduced in the BJP-ruled state of Uttarakhand.