West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of attempting to rob people of their democratic rights and imposing what she called “linguistic terror” on the Bengali community.
Speaking at a rally organised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) students' wing in Kolkata, Banerjee alleged that the BJP had sent more than 500 teams from across India to West Bengal to carry out surveys aimed at removing voters' names from the electoral rolls.
“You must yourself check whether your names are still there or have been struck off from the voters’ list... You must ensure you have Aadhaar cards,” she urged the crowd, cautioning against any attempt to suppress voting rights.
Reiterating her commitment to defending democratic participation, Banerjee declared,
“I will not let anyone take away people’s voting rights till I am alive.”
The Chief Minister also took aim at the Election Commission (EC), accusing it of exceeding its authority and attempting to intimidate officers working under the state government. “The EC is threatening our officers. Its jurisdiction is only for the three months during elections, not throughout the year,” she asserted.
Banerjee further alleged that the BJP was attempting to erase the contributions of Bengalis from India's history, particularly their role in the freedom struggle. “If there is no Bengali language, then in which language are the national anthem and national song written?” she asked. “They want people to forget the historical role played by Bengalis in the freedom movement. We will not tolerate this linguistic terror," added the Bengal Chief Minister.
She accused the ideological forebears of the BJP of collaborating with the British during colonial rule. “Their predecessors were agents of the British who gave undertakings to get out of jails,” she claimed.
Turning her attention to development and governance, Banerjee highlighted the welfare programmes launched by her government, contrasting them with what she described as corruption under the BJP-led central government. “We have brought the 'Lakshmir Bhandar' scheme for women, while the BJP has ‘corruption bhandar’ and nepotism. They are looting the nation, while we are empowering women,” she said.
