BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari issues ‘2 Rafale jets’ warning to Bangladesh

Senior West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has issued a “two Rafale jets will suffice” warning to Bangladesh over the alleged atrocities against Hindus in the neighbouring country.

The Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday (December 10) said India knows how to “deal with Bangladesh” if it does not rectify its course.

Bangladesh relies on India and not the other way around, Adhikari asserted, emphasising India’s leverage in the region.

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Addressing a rally at Basirhat’s Hajratala near the Indo-Bangla border, Adhikari demanded an immediate cessation of violence against minorities and called for raising the issue at international forums.

Adhikari cited an alleged attack on an ISKCON member in Dhaka’s Uttara area recently, where the victim reportedly narrowly escaped an attempt on his life.

Videos of the incident, shared widely on social media by the group Save Bangladeshi Hindus, have triggered widespread outrage among Hindu communities.

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“If we stop the electricity supply, they will plunge into darkness. We have 40 Rafale fighter jets stationed at Hasimara (West Bengal) and sending two will suffice. Our Prime Minister resolved the Ayodhya dispute and abrogated Article 370. Bangladesh should not test our patience. We sacrificed 17,000 soldiers to help them gain independence in 1971. If necessary, we will act again,” he said, according to reports.

Protests have escalated in West Bengal, with organisations like the Bengali Hindu Protection Committee holding demonstrations at Petrapole and Ghojadanga border points.

Protesters demanded urgent action to end the alleged persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh and urged the Indian government to intervene.

Also read: 'Fundamentalist threats against our devotees increasing in Bangladesh': ISKCON

Adhikari’s remarks, made during a protest rally, came amid rising tension over the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh and the growing number of attacks on their religious establishments.

He also reiterated his support for Sheikh Hasina as the “only legitimate Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” a statement that has drawn mixed reactions amid the ongoing political turbulence in the neighbouring country.

His remarks have amplified calls for international intervention to address the concerns of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

The BJP leader warned the Bangladesh government, led by chief adviser to the interim government Muhammad Yunus, of escalating economic pressure.

He threatened to impose an “indefinite export embargo” on the neighbouring country if it did not take immediate steps to curb attacks on the Hindu minority.

“Trade restrictions with Bangladesh will be tightened in phases, crippling the country’s dependence on essential commodities from India," Adhikari declared.

"The 24-hour suspension of trade was just a trailer of what’s going to happen next. If the attacks on Hindus and their religious institutions do not stop by next week, we will impose a five-day trade embargo. After the beginning of next year, we will stop trade for an indefinite period. We will see how the people there live without our potatoes and onions,” he added.

Adhikari's remarks were part of a protest organised to demand the release of Hindu monk Chinmay Krishna Das, who was arrested in Bangladesh, and to call for an end to the ongoing persecution of religious minorities in the country.

On Tuesday, Bangladesh acknowledged that since August 5, 88 incidents of atrocities against minorities, primarily Hindus, did take place following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August.

Interim government head Muhammad Yunus’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam also said that 70 people have been arrested in relation with those incidents.

(With agency inputs)