Suvendu Adhikari reiterated on Thursday that his comments made during the extended state committee meeting of the BJP on Wednesday had been taken out of context but party insiders said the leader of the Opposition couldn't have made such statements without taking prior approval of the national leadership.

Speaking at the extended state committee meeting at Science City auditorium in the presence of BJP national general secretary Sunil Bansal and Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Adhikari said in Bengal, the Prime Minister’s slogan of sabka sath, sabka vikas (with everyone, development for everyone) should be replaced with jo hamare sath, hum unkey sath (with those who are with us".

He even proposed abolishing the BJP's Minority Morcha.

State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar promptly said the statements were Adhikari's personal views.

As several BJP leaders continued to show unease with Adhikari's statements within the party, the leader of the Opposition took to X on Thursday to clarify his views on what he "meant to say" at the meeting.

Adhikari wrote on his X handle: "My statement is being taken out of context. I am clear that those who are Nationalists, stand for this Nation and Bengal, we should be with them. Those who don’t stand with us, work against the interest of Nation and Bengal, we need to expose them. Also, like Mamata Banerjee, we shouldn’t divide people in majority and minority and see them as Indians. I embody in letter and spirit, the Prime Minister’s call for Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas.”

Although Bansal was seen clapping after Adhikari finished his 14-minute speech, the BJP went into a damage control mode.

Even a day later, Majumdar reiterated that Adhikari had made the statements in his personal capacity and the BJP did not endorse them. "It is his personal opinion. 'Sabka sath' is the administrative philosophy of the Modi government," Majumdar said.

Adhikari took a softer stance on Thursday and made it clear that his intention was not to go against the Prime Minister's slogan of all-inclusive development. A leader close to the Nandigram MLA said Adhikari wanted to convey the message that the BJP should stand firmly behind those who owed their allegiance "to the nation and Bengal in particular".

BJP insiders said that though Adhikari defended his position on the Prime Minister's slogan, he remained silent about abolishing the party's minority wing. This prompted many BJP leaders to state that Adhikari would not have gone so far without the endorsement of the party's national leadership.

"Suvendu is not so naive or ignorant to make such a strong statement without the approval of senior BJP leaders. He has carefully chosen the platform to send his views to the farthest corner of the state," a senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Last week, Adhikari had met met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi and had a detailed discussion with him regarding the BJP's strategy to make a comeback in the state.

"I spoke to Amitji for 45 minutes. He explained how the BJP should make a comeback in Bengal. We will work under his guidance,” Adhikari had said after the meeting.

Adhikari's "anti-minority" stance exposed him to attacks from his political rivals.

"It is the expression of the BJP's deep-rooted frustration after they took a beating in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. The statement of Suvendu Adhikari has again exposed that the BJP is anti-minority and trying to divide the electorate on the basis of religion. Thirdly, the infighting in the BJP reached an extreme level that they are not only ignoring their state-level leaders but also defying the Prime Minister," Trinamool Congress spokesperson Santanu Sen said.

The BJP insiders, however, believe that there was a "method in madness" in what Adhikari said.

"He wants to consolidate the majority of the Hindu electorate in the state in favour of the BJP. This is a carefully crafted strategy of the BJP that the party is attempting to test. While Adhikari talks hardline, Majumdar tries to disown his statements as personal views. The ultimate goal is to polarise voters before the 2026 Assembly polls," said a BJP veteran.

The leader added that the BJP had understood that anti-incumbency and non-governance would not be enough to uproot the TMC. To ensure anti-TMC Hindu votes stayed with them and did not move towards the Left-Congress alliance, the BJP is playing the polarisation card and Adhikari's statement is the first step, the BJP veteran said.

Responding to Adhikari's statement, CPM state secretary Md Salim almost echoed the BJP veteran's observation. He said the BJP was testing the waters in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly polls.

"This is how the RSS functions. They will float some ideas and wait for the reactions. You see, Suvendu Adhikari has backtracked and has taken a softer stance. This methodical and systematic propagation is the first step towards religious consolidation and polarisation," Salim said.