Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising the flood and landslide crisis in North Bengal, after he criticised the law and order situation in the state following an attack on BJP leaders during their visit to the Dooars region. In a detailed post on X, Banerjee wrote: “It is unfortunate and deeply concerning that the Prime Minister of India has chosen to politicise a natural disaster without waiting for a proper investigation, especially while people in North Bengal are grappling with the aftermath of devastating floods and landslides.
When the entire local administration and police is engrossed in relief and rescue operations, the BJP leaders chose to go to the affected areas with a large convoy of cars and under security cover of the central forces and that too without any information to local police and administration. How can the state administration, local police or the TMC be blamed for the incident?”
She said the Prime Minister’s statement was “a breach of the constitutional ethos he has sworn to uphold” and accused him of using “a political pulpit” to cast blame without verified evidence or due process. “Coming from a Prime Minister who visited Manipur only 964 days after it was engulfed in ethnic violence, the sudden concern for Bengal appears less like empathy and more like opportunistic political theatre,” Banerjee added.
The Chief Minister alleged that the BJP was attempting to revive a “North Bengal versus South Bengal” narrative ahead of elections and urged Modi to “act as the Prime Minister of India, not just of BJP”.
She wrote: “At this critical hour, let us not deepen divides. Let us stand united beyond party lines to serve the people who need us the most.”
Her remarks followed Modi’s post on X, in which he condemned the attack on BJP MP Khagen Murmu and MLA Sankar Ghosh, who were injured during their visit to the flood and landslide-hit Dooars. “The manner in which our party colleagues, including a sitting MP and MLA, were attacked in West Bengal for serving the people affected by floods and landslides is outright appalling. It highlights the insensitivity of the TMC as well as the absolutely pathetic law and order situation in the state,” Modi wrote, calling upon BJP workers to continue assisting rescue operations.