West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
and Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ‘Sahid Diwas’ rally in Kolkata on Monday, calling them anti-Bengal and anti- Bengali. The rally, held to commemorate the 1993 police firing that killed 13 Youth Congress workers, which over the years had become the annual event of the party, served as a platform for the Trinamool Supremo to set the tone for the TMC’s campaign ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. She called it BJP’s “shameful attitude” toward Bengalis, alleging that Bengali-speaking migrant workers are being unfairly targeted in states like Odisha, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Assam - what she termed as systemic harassment of Bengalis in BJP ruled states.
“Whoever is speaking in Bengali, they are trying to label them as Bangladeshi. They have sent notices to their own states, asking them to detain Bengalis. They are terming them Rohingya, under what law? Thousands of people have been tortured, detained and some even forcibly thrown out of the country” she said while warning that she will take this fight against BJP to Delhi if need be, indicating a larger protest in days to come. She accused the BJP and the Election Commission of conspiring to undermine Bengal by attempting to remove Bengali voters from electoral rolls. “BJP and EC are conspiring against Bengal, wanting to remove Bengalis from the voter list,” she alleged, emphasizing her party’s resolve to resist such moves. She further challenged the BJP’s narrative of development, questioning their contributions to the country over the past 11 years. “BJP claims Bengal will witness development if there is change; what have they done for the country in the last 11 years?” Banerjee asked, rallying her supporters to reject the BJP’s agenda.
She also took a swipe at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of meddling in Bengal’s affairs while failing to manage his own state effectively. “Assam CM, who cannot properly handle his own state, is meddling in the affairs of Bengal,” she remarked, reinforcing her focus on regional pride and autonomy. She reiterated her commitment to protecting Bengali identity, accusing the BJP of targeting Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states through linguistic profiling and unlawful detentions. Recently Sarma had questioned if Banerjee’s love was for “Bengalis or Bengali Muslims”, yet again trying to stoke the religious polarisation amidst the linguistic debate.
The TMC chief used the platform to project strength and unity, declaring that her party would aim to win more seats in the 2026 Bengal Assembly polls and work toward defeating the BJP at the national level. “We have to win more seats in 2026 Bengal assembly polls, then aim to defeat BJP at Centre. BJP will be finished in the upcoming election. There after we will oust them from power in Delhi. We will bring change at the centre” she asserted. Banerjee also addressed allegations of atrocities against women in BJP-ruled states, challenging the BJP to explain why such incidents persist under their governance. “Two incidents concerning students happened here in Bengal. We immediately took action. But BJP tried politicising that. I want to ask what happened in BJP ruled states. In Odisha a victim instead of getting justice was burnt alive”, she thundered. The 2021 Bengal assembly election was fought on the emotions of Bengali pride, the July 21 Sahid Diwas rally indicates the battle for 2026 may be fought on similar likes as Banerjee promised ‘Khela Hobe’ yet again.
