The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come under sharp criticism after its official social media account posted an insensitive meme celebrating the recent killing of Maoists in Chhattisgarh. The post, which included a communal reference linked to the Bhagalpur massacre, drew outrage from activists, opposition leaders, and civil society, with some terming it hate speech.
The controversy erupted on May 23 after the BJP’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle responded to a condemnation statement by the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) [CPI(ML)]. The party posted an AI-generated meme showing Union Home Minister Amit Shah offering a cauliflower to a tombstone marked “Naxalism – Rest in Peace.” The post was captioned ‘Lol Salaam Comrade.’
For the uninitiated, the cauliflower reference alludes to the Bhagalpur massacre of 1989, in which over 100 Muslims were killed and their bodies reportedly buried under cauliflower and cabbage saplings. The vegetable has since been used in some far-right internet circles as a dog whistle for anti-Muslim violence.
Lawyer and activist Vinay KS denounced the post on X, writing, “This is disgusting and anti-Indian @BJP4Karnataka. You are celebrating the extra-judicial killing of our own citizens! Plus adding cauliflower – do you endorse massacres like Bhagalpur?” He tagged the Cyber Crime Police, urging them to take action.
CPI (ML) Central Committee member Clifton D’Rozario also condemned the tweet, calling it a celebration of extrajudicial killings and a disregard for constitutional values. “Undemocratic bigots… you’re referencing the massacre of Muslims at Bhagalpur, so what would you know about democracy,” he posted.
Journalist Alishan Jafri pointed out the state-sanctioned nature of the message, tweeting, “The violent cauliflower meme is being posted by an official ruling party account now. So much effort for uniting the nation during ‘war time.’”
The post was shared in the aftermath of a major anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, where 27 Maoists — including 12 women — were killed in an alleged encounter with security forces. Among the deceased was Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, the general secretary of the outlawed CPI (Maoist). The Maoists reportedly carried a cumulative bounty of over Rs 3.3 crore.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the incident as a “landmark achievement” in the government’s efforts to eliminate Naxalism by March 31, 2026, as part of Operation Kagar, the union government’s intensified anti-Maoist campaign.
However, CPI (ML) denounced the killings as “cold-blooded extrajudicial executions,” accusing the state of using military force to suppress Adivasi resistance to corporate land acquisition and militarisation under the pretext of fighting Maoism. The party demanded a judicial inquiry and an immediate halt to the ongoing security operation, noting that the Maoists had declared a unilateral ceasefire.