After Amit Shah’s bandage remark, Mamata flags ‘possible attack on her’

Kolkata: Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee on Sunday questioned remarks by Union Home Minister Amit Shah over her bandaged appearances, asking whether such comments hinted at a possible attack being planned against her.

Referring to statements that she “roams around with a bandage” during elections, Banerjee said the injury dates back to the 2021 Assembly polls and challenged critics to verify medical records. She added that she had “returned from the brink of death” multiple times and would continue her political fight despite repeated physical setbacks.

The Trinamool Congress chief also sharpened her attack on the Election Commission of India over alleged large-scale deletions in voter lists under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), calling it an assault on democratic rights. She questioned the accessibility of legal remedies, asking why tribunals are concentrated in Kolkata and how voters in districts would seek redress.

Banerjee announced that her party would set up camps across districts to help affected voters file appeals, promising free legal assistance and procedural guidance. She alleged that wrongful deletions — including those of women and tribal voters — were being used to influence the electoral outcome.

At rallies in Bankura’s Raipur and Purulia’s Manbazar, Banerjee centred her campaign on welfare delivery and Jungle Mahal’s transformation. She highlighted schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar, Swasthya Sathi and Khadya Sathi as long-term social security measures, while promising expansion of pensions, housing and drinking water coverage.

Invoking the past, she contrasted the present with the violence that once gripped Jungle Mahal, claiming her government restored peace and enabled development — from roads and colleges to healthcare infrastructure and tribal welfare initiatives.

Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party, Banerjee accused it of attempting to “snatch voting rights” through voter list manipulation and warned such efforts would be answered through the ballot. She also alleged rising unemployment at the national level and misuse of central agencies.

Positioning herself as a unifying leader, Banerjee emphasised inclusivity across caste, creed and religion, urging voters in Jungle Mahal to back the Trinamool Congress to safeguard welfare benefits and maintain peace.