West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP and the Centre at a public meeting in Borjora in Bankura district, accusing them of politicising infiltration, targeting Bengali voters through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, and deliberately stalling development funds meant for the state.
Using strong imagery, Banerjee said the BJP leadership appeared in Bengal only during elections. “Durshashan has come to Bengal. Like Duryodhan and Durshashan, they surface only before polls. Have they ever stayed in Bengal? They come only to create crises,” she said.
Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s allegation that the state government had refused land for international border fencing and development projects, Banerjee termed the claim “a blatant lie”. “Who gave land for Chengrabandha, Panagarh and Andal airport? We have provided land for multiple central projects. Saying otherwise is nothing but falsehood,” she said.
Questioning the Centre’s focus on infiltration in Bengal, the Chief Minister asked, “Are there infiltrators only in Bengal? What about Kashmir? Who carried out the Pahalgam attack? What happened in Delhi? Were those attacks also carried out without infiltration?”
Banerjee also accused the BJP of losing electoral confidence. “Last time they said ‘iss baar 200 paar’. This time they have brought SIR because they are no longer confident,” she said, claiming that at least 60 people had died due to issues linked to the SIR process. “They don’t even know how to show basic courtesy to the elderly,” she added.
Alleging discrimination by the Centre, Banerjee said several welfare schemes had been stalled in West Bengal. “Funds for MNREGA have been stopped, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been halted, and there are no Centre-backed schemes for women in the state. Their officials roam the roads and their convoys run over women and children,” she said, in a veiled reference to a recent convoy-related incident.
Raising concerns over voter deletions, Banerjee asked, “How were 58 lakh voters removed from Bengal’s draft SIR list? Amit Shah must be held accountable. Just because Bengalis are polite, you are able to stay in hotels here. Despite everything, we remain courteous. This is Bengal—we welcome guests.”
On MNREGA, the Chief Minister said the state had responded by renaming and expanding its employment scheme. “MNREGA carried Mahatma Gandhi’s name—the Father of the Nation. When you removed his name, we adopted it. Karmashree will now be called Mahatmashree, and the number of workdays will be increased from 50 to 100,” she said.
Banerjee also flagged the issue of migrant labourers, alleging harassment of Bengali workers in other states. “Bengali migrant workers are being targeted in Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. If we wanted, we could also gherao Odisha Bhavan, but we are not unruly. In Bengal, nearly 1.5 crore workers from other states live and work with dignity, yet elsewhere Bengali-speaking people are being branded as Bangladeshis,” she said.
Drawing a historical parallel, Banerjee said Bengal, like Punjab, had suffered during Partition. “Today you want to verify voters through SIR. What were you doing all these years? You come to Bengal pretending to belong, eating with people, but now names of Adivasis, Matuas and Taposhilis have been removed from the voters’ list,” she alleged.
