Politics takes centrestage before Pahalgam tears dry

Kolkata: Even before tears from the Pahalgam terror attacks were wiped away, politics took centre stage in Bengal. On Wednesday night, state leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari went to Dumdum airport to meet the family of the bereaved. Adhikari was seen trying to console Sohini, the wife of Bitan Adhikary, whose body was brought in a coffin. Adhikari took the couple's son Hridaan in his arms. He later told reporters: "We have not come here for politics. The 2026 election is far away. As Sanatanis, we want revenge now. We do not want political narratives."
A video of Adhikari, in which he was seen talking to Sohini, claiming that "Modi's children" would not tolerate such attacks, went viral and was trolled.

Bengal ministers Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim were also waiting at the airport when the bodies of Adhikary and Samir Guha were brought back to Kolkata. According to sources, at one point, Biswas had to show official documents to "prove" they were present to receive the families, in accordance with protocol. BJP netas like Samik Bhattacharya, Abhijit Ganguly, Agnimitra Paul and Bankim Ghosh shouted slogans of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" as the bodies were taken away to their homes. At the Adhikary's Patuli home, Pal had Hridaan on her lap. After a while, she handed him to Biswas before leaving.
On Thursday morning, Bengal BJP netas protested in front of the assembly. They burnt the Pakistan flag and shouted slogans against the neighbouring country. "I urge travellers from Bengal to check the demographic profile of the area before they plan a tour... As long as Narendra Modi is PM, everything is possible. Just like Gaza, Pakistan will also be reduced to ashes," Adhikari said.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh posted a video of the protest in which Adhikari was seen shouting "Hindustan Murdabad". This post was later deleted from Adhikari's social media. "They have confused it completely and lost the plot while trying to be overzealous. Seems there was a mistake in their script," Ghosh said.
Former Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh trained guns on the opposition for being critical in this hour of crisis. "The incident has shaken everyone. The opposition should refrain from criticism now and help the central govt. Earlier govts remained silent on such attacks and allowed such groups to proliferate in India. We paid the price for that," the former BJP national vice-president said.