Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in West Bengal and BJP leader on Monday, criticised chief minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of making a "provocative speech" during the Eid celebrations at Red Road in Kolkata.

Taking to social media platform X, Adhikari questioned Banerjee’s remarks, and wrote, “Kaun sa Dharm ganda hai Ms. Mamata Banerjee? Appeasing the Muslim Community at the Red Road with your almost incomprehensible gibberish Urdu dialect, you made a statement that you don't follow the 'Ganda Dharm' or 'Dirty Religion'. Which religion were you specifically referring to? Sanatan Hindu Dharma?”

Adhikari further alleged that Banerjee used the words "Danga" (riot) and questioned whether the event was meant to be religious or political. He accused her of attempting to create animosity between communities, warning that such actions would backfire on her.

“What kind of provocative speech did you deliver at the Red Road on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr? You uttered the words 'Danga' & Riots more than you repeated the word Eid. Was it a religious event or a political programme? Why were you deliberately mongering hate with the deliberate intention of creating animosity between communities? Ms. Mamata Banerjee, you are the one who weaponizes religion. It will boomerang on you very soon,” he added.

The official account of BJP West Bengal on X posted a video of the chief minister.

“Mamata Banerjee has turned West Bengal into a slaughterhouse for Hindus—riots, appeasement, and now open mockery of Sanatan Dharma from an Eid stage. How much lower will she stoop? Her hands are stained with the blood of those she abandoned. Is Sanatan Dharma a ‘Ganda Dharm’ for her? She arms radicals while trampling Hindus. Enough is enough,” read the post.

BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya also joined the criticism, stating on X: “Is Sanatan Dharma a ‘Ganda Dharm’ for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee? Despite numerous anti-Hindu riots under her watch, she has the audacity to mock Hindus and deride their faith. Once again, she has given Muslims a carte blanche to target Hindus—this time from a religious platform meant to celebrate Eid. Shame on her.”

West Bengal BJP president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, in an interview, said, "It's the TMC that does riots. I want to ask Mamata Banerjee, who burnt the houses of Hindus and abused Hindu deities in Mothabari (Malda) - the videos are still there all over social media. Mamata Banerjee and CPM - both do the politics of appeasement, and both are together in it."

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya accused Banerjee of attempting to divide society along religious lines. "Mamata Banerjee is trying to divide the society. The country was also divided on the basis of religion. The way Mamata Banerjee is speaking, it reminds us of the pre-independence era," Bhattacharya said.

BJP’s Lok Sabha MP Praveen Khandelwal also slammed Banerjee and said, "There can be no more distorted mindset than this. Mamata Banerjee herself is a Hindu, yet she is calling Hinduism filthy. I believe she has lost her mental balance and should consult a psychiatrist. Hinduism is the soul of India, our culture, and civilization, and we take pride in being Hindus. At the very least, Mamata Banerjee has no right to attack any religion for her appeasement politics. I don't think any politician in the country has ever had such a deplorable mindset."

BJP MP and JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal said, "The way she is trying to worsen the situation, the kind of atrocities happening there, the oppression faced by BJP supporters, and how the police are being used as an arm of the TMC—it all indicates that she is the one attempting to incite riots."

TMC state vice president Jaiprakash Majumdar dismissed the BJP's allegations and claimed that the chief minister never said anything against the Hindu religion but was vocal against the communal politics of the BJP. "She never said anything against the Hindu religion but was speaking against the communal politics of the BJP which claims to be the self-proclaimed guardian of Hindus," he asserted.

With inputs from agencies