Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reminded Bangladesh of the 1971 “terror” by Pakistan’s army on its soil, his comments at a public meeting in Alipurduar coming amid an upswing in Dhaka-Islamabad ties since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last year.

Modi’s visit to Bengal, with less than a year left before the Assembly elections, came as part of his countrywide itinerary to extol Operation Sindoor that has invited accusations of politicising the military offensive.

He faced similar charges on Thursday from chief minister Mamata Banerjee who, speaking in Calcutta, accused the Prime Minister of “playing a political Holi” and alleged the cross-border operation had been named “Sindoor” for partisan reasons.

“The Pakistani army has ‘expertise’ in terror and mass execution. We have not forgotten the atrocities they carried out in today’s Bangladesh (then East Pakistan),” Modi told his audience in Alipurduar, a north Bengal town barely 50km from the Bangladesh border.

“In our neighbouring country, the Pakistani army committed rapes and murders and unleashed a reignof terror.”

Modi’s remarks come at a time when Dhaka-Islamabad relations are witnessing an improvement after decades of stagnation while India-Bangladesh ties have plummeted.

Many politically influential people in Bangladesh, especially representatives of radical groups, have been issuing pro-Pakistan statements while criticising India.

In April, Bangladesh and Pakistan resumed foreign secretary-level talks in Dhaka after a gap of 15 years. Earlier, a military delegation from Bangladesh had travelled to Rawalpindi, the Pakistan army headquarters, and met the army chief and other senior officers.

Reports said that a team from Pakistani spy agency ISI had visited Bangladesh earlier this year.

On the economic front, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has resumed direct bilateral tradewith Pakistan.

Several people convicted of war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War have been acquitted and released, betraying a pro-Pakistan tilt not just in the popular mood but among key institutionsin Bangladesh.

Even on Wednesday, A.T.M. Azharul Islam, a former general secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami who had been sentenced to death, was acquitted of all war crime cases and released.

Against this background, Modi’s comments represented a caution to Bangladeshis not to forget the past, a retired army officer in Siliguri said.

“The Prime Minister has obliquely passed on the message that Bangladeshis should not forget how the Pakistani army tortured and killed people in their country,” the veteran said.

“It’s an important message at a time when the interim government of Bangladesh is getting closer to Pakistan.”

Modi also referred to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

“They dared to wipe off the sindoor (vermilion)… our army has shown them the strength of the sindoor. We have crushed the terror hubs in Pakistan, a country that has nothing positive to share with the world. They had never dreamt of such an assault,”he said.

Modi accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism and planning attacks on India since the Partition in 1947.

“Through this operation (Sindoor), India has made it clear that if there is any terrorist attack in India, the enemy will have to pay a heavy price,” the Prime Minister said.

“Pakistan should realise that we have entered (its territory) thrice and carriedout assaults.”

Operation Sindoor, he reaffirmed, has “not ended yet”.

Mamata’s attack on Modi came later in the afternoon.

“Nowadays, the central government fixes all the names. They gave the name ‘Operation Sindoor’ because they wanted it to catch on politically. I will not go into it right now,” she said.

“Representatives from different political parties, including non-BJP parties, are raising their voice on behalf of the country in foreign nations,” she added, referring to the all-party delegations visiting foreign capitals to convey India’s stand on Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor.

“At this time, in the name of election campaigning, the Prime Minister has entered the political arena to play a political Holi. It is unbecoming and bereft of decency.”