BJP leaders visit Bengal only for votes, says Abhishek

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP leadership, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah of being “seasonal visitors” to West Bengal.

In a post on X, Banerjee said it was “as strange as it is revealing” that Modi and Shah “locate Bengal on the map only when elections are around the corner,” alleging that they arrive with “suitcases of lies” and “vanish without a trace” once polls are over.

Earlier, Banerjee from an election rally alleged that the BJP-led Centre had “deceived” the Rajbanshi community of North Bengal by failing to fulfil key promises made during successive election campaigns.

Addressing a public meeting at Natabari in Cooch Behar district, Banerjee claimed that the Centre has hurt the “pride and self-esteem” of the community by not responding to the state government’s demand to include the Rajbanshi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Highlighting recurring crises in North Bengal, Banerjee questioned the absence of central leadership during natural disasters. “Where are they when North Bengal is ravaged by floods?” he asked.

He also alleged that the Centre fails to stand by affected people during times of distress.

He also raised concerns over electoral and citizenship-related issues, claiming that “legitimate citizens are served NRC notices” and that “genuine voters are harassed, humiliated, and disenfranchised”.

The remarks come amid ongoing political tensions over voter verification processes in the state. Banerjee further accused the Centre of neglecting tea garden workers, alleging non-payment of Provident Fund dues, and criticised the role of Central forces, claiming that people were “shot dead in cold blood.”

Drawing a contrast with the state government, he asserted that the Trinamool Congress “has stood beside the people, in every crisis, at every hour, without condition and without calculation”. The TMC leader also expressed confidence in his party’s candidates in North Bengal constituencies, stating that voters in Natabari, Jalpaiguri, and Kumargram would support the party nominees.