A cryptic social media exchange between Himanta Biswa Sarma and Suvendu Adhikari on May 12 set off a fresh round of political speculation, with both BJP leaders dropping hints without naming their apparent target.

The online sparring began after Sarma shared photographs with Adhikari from his oath-taking ceremony in Guwahati and posted on X: “Bad days for…..(You know who).”

Adhikari soon joined the conversation with a teasing reply: “No Prizes for Guessing, I guess.”

Though neither leader directly identified who they were referring to, the posts quickly triggered political buzz online, with supporters and critics alike reading the exchange as a veiled reference to illegal immigration from Bangladesh — an issue both leaders have repeatedly raised in Assam and West Bengal politics.

Sarma took oath for a second consecutive term as Assam Chief Minister after the BJP-led alliance retained power in the state for a third straight term. 

Widely regarded as the BJP’s key strategist in the Northeast, Sarma has consistently centred his political narrative around migration, land encroachment, and Assamese identity.

During the Assam election campaign, he vowed to “break the backbone of infiltrators” and promised intensified eviction and anti-encroachment drives if re-elected. Opposition parties, however, have accused him of promoting divisive identity politics and pursuing what critics describe as “bulldozer governance.”

Adhikari, meanwhile, recently assumed office as West Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister after the party ended 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule in the state. 

Like Sarma, he has frequently alleged that illegal infiltration from Bangladesh has altered demographic patterns in border districts and affected local Hindu communities.

One of the first major decisions announced by Adhikari’s Cabinet was to fast-track the transfer of land to the Border Security Force for fencing vulnerable stretches along the India-Bangladesh border. The Bengal government said the move was aimed at plugging infiltration routes and curbing smuggling activities.

The exchange between the two chief ministers has since gone viral on social media, with BJP supporters celebrating what they called a “new eastern axis” of the party, while opposition leaders accused the duo of dog-whistle politics ahead of future electoral battles.