Amidst ‘clean politics’ debate, Abhishek dares Amit Shah to resign

Kolkata: The sit-in protest led by Mamata Banerjee at Dharmatala entered its fourth day on Monday, with Abhishek Banerjee launching a sharp attack on the BJP leadership and demanding the resignation of Union Home minister Amit Shah.

Addressing the gathering, Abhishek Banerjee challenged Amit Shah, saying that if the latter truly intended to bar politicians who had once been jailed, he should resign first, asserting that political accountability must begin at the top.

Taking a dig at Shah’s son Jay Shah, Abhishek also questioned the BJP’s criticism of “family politics”. In a sarcastic remark, he asked: “If Jay Shah comes to the field, will he even be able to hold a bat?” alleging that the BJP talks about nepotism while promoting its own family members to powerful positions.

Referring to his own political career, Abhishek said he had repeatedly proved himself in electoral politics. Citing his victories from Diamond Harbour, he said he first won by a margin of around 71,000 votes, then by more than 3.2 lakh votes and later by over 7 lakh votes. “I have gone through several ‘agniparikshas’ in politics,” he said, adding that public support had grown stronger with every election.

He also alleged a larger conspiracy targeting voters in the state. Claiming that he had received a call from a bureaucrat in Delhi, Abhishek said that there were plans to freeze bank accounts of poor people by linking them with voter identity verification. According to him, if a person’s name is removed from the voter list, banks could later demand KYC documents, including a voter card.

“If you cannot produce a voter card, the account will be frozen and the money will be taken away,” he alleged.

The Trinamool MP further questioned the arrangements made for the visiting Election Commission delegation in Kolkata. Referring to the hotel where the Commission’s full bench is staying, he asked why the same place frequently used by Amit Shah during his visits had been chosen for the officials. Naming Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Abhishek said the arrangement raised serious questions about neutrality.

Abhishek also addressed speculation over the number of phases in which the 2026 Assembly election might be conducted.

While the BJP has demanded fewer phases and the Left has called for a single-phase election, he said the Trinamool Congress had no objection to however many phases the Election Commission decides because he is confident that TMC will win anyhow and BJP will go under 50. Banerjee, regarding the upcoming election, stated: “This election is not to elect but to reject the Bangla-birodhis.”