‘You know who’s having a hard time’: Himanta-Suvendu’s kindness draws attention at Assam government swearing-in ceremony
Himanta Biswa Sarma Sharing heartwarming moments from the swearing-in ceremony of the Assam government with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. During the exchange, the two leaders may also have mentioned a common problem between the two countries, namely the issue of infiltrators.Photos posted by Suvendu Adhikari on X showed the two BJP leaders hugging and laughing during the event, highlighting the camaraderie between the party’s leading figures in the eastern region.The interaction became a talking point after Himanta Biswa Sarma joked about Adhikari: “Bad days… (you know who).”Adhikari responded in kind, writing: “No prizes for guessing, I guess,” followed by a smiling emoji in an apparent attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee without naming her directly.The moment comes at a time when both Assam and West Bengal are increasingly viewing infiltration as a major political and administrative issue. Sarma has made Assam’s fight against illegal immigration central to his government’s agenda, while Adhikari, after becoming chief minister of West Bengal, has intensified the BJP government’s rhetoric on border security, demographic changes and alleged cross-border infiltration.The public friendship between the two leaders is about building a coherent eastern regional narrative around national security and identity politics.The interaction also highlighted the growing political alliance between the BJP governments in Assam and West Bengal, with the two leaders increasingly seeing themselves as key figures in the party’s counter-infiltration campaign in eastern India.
