Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday called the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh "illegal" and said Sheikh Hasina remained the legitimate Prime Minister of the country.

The BJP leader's comments are bound to create ripples beyond the border at a time when New Delhi has expressed its intent to work with the new dispensation in Dhaka.

"Legally, Sheikh Hasina is the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka as the rightful Prime Minister and will be saluted with respect. All other regimes are unconstitutional," Adhikari told reporters at Ghojadanga in North 24-Parganas.

He was at Ghojadanga, the second-most important land port between India and Bangladesh, to attend a rally organised by the Bangiya Hindu Raksha Samiti, a coalition of monks and religious organisations linked to the Sangh Parivar.

The rally was organised to decry the "inhuman oppression of Hindus in Bangladesh," the desecration of the Indian national flag and demand the release of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested on November 25 on sedition charges.

Adhikari, who has been leading the Bengal BJP's protest movements over Bangladesh, referred to India's historical ties with Bangladesh, especially the Awami League, since the time of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the country's nine-month-long freedom struggle against the then West Pakistan government. India had supported the freedom fighters of East Pakistan in the Liberation War of 1971, which gave the birth of an independent Bangladesh.

"India had earlier protected Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We can do the same for Sheikh Hasina because she is the legitimate Prime Minister of Bangladesh," Adhikari said.

The attempt by Adhikari to stand by the deposed Prime Minister of Bangladesh, who fled the country in the face of a wave of protest on August 5, is likely to embarrass the ruling BJP at the Centre that has been making efforts to normalise the bilateral relationship, which has nosedived recently.

Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri was in Dhaka on Monday and met Yunus, his foreign policy adviser Touhid Hossan and foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin. Although the Indian diplomat spoke about India's concerns regarding the safety and security of minorities, he underlined New Delhi's interest in working closely with the Yunus-led regime.

"Adhikari's comments about Sheikh Hasina were unnecessary.... This will surely upset the new regime," said a BJP insider.

Although the Bengal unit of the BJP has been trying to use the developments in Bangladesh to achieve its objective of consolidation of Hindu votes in the state, Adhikari's direct support for Hasina — something that the Centre has avoided till now — may result in diplomatic complications, the source added.

"Raising questions about the safety of Hindus is justified.... But why should we openly speak in favour of one political force in another country?" asked the BJP insider.

"Such comments by ruling party leaders will create more tensions as a large section of people in Bangladesh believes that India supported Hasina's illegitimate government," he added.

At Ghojadanga, Adhikari also called for a larger movement to stop bilateral trade with Bangladesh to protest the alleged violence against Hindus.

"The goods movement should stop," said the BJP leader, who had earlier made similar demands while leading a protest rally at Petrapole-Benapole border, the biggest land port between the two neighbours.

His call was sharply in contrast to India's public stance, articulated by Misri on Monday, in response to Bangladesh's demand for the smooth movement of goods.

While trade at Ghojadanga was briefly halted in the morning, it resumed once the rally concluded. Sources said around 150 export-bound vehicles crossed the border, and approximately 50 cargo vehicles entered India by the end of the day.

Salim slams BJP

State CPM secretary Md Salim criticised the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for allegedly fueling communal tensions.

"The Bangladesh regime must act to stop attacks on minorities, but elements on both sides of the border are aggravating tensions instead of resolving them. Here, the BJP and the TMC are doing this, while in Bangladesh, certain parties are acting similarly," he said.

Salim also slammed the central government for delaying its response to the situation in Bangladesh. "Why did it take the Narendra Modi government over four months to send the Foreign Secretary to Dhaka?" he asked.

Desh Bachao Gano Mancha, a social organisation, condemned the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and urged the state government to thwart any attempts to incite communal tension by organisations aligned with the BJP and RSS. The group also supported chief minister Mamata Banerjee's initiatives and called on the central government to engage with stakeholders before adopting any stance on Bangladesh.