Centre would’ve imposed President Rule if SIR was refused, says Mamata
Kolkata: Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led Centre over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that the “real objective” behind the SIR was to pave the way for the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which she vowed never to allow in Bengal.
“Even if they slit my throat, I will never allow the NRC or any detention camps in Bengal. No one will be driven out.
The SIR conspiracy was hatched to implement the NRC — let the BJP be clear about that,” Banerjee said while addressing a massive rally at Berhampore Stadium in Murshidabad. She accused the BJP of “weaponising” the SIR to stoke communal narratives ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Banerjee claimed that more than half the deaths linked to SIR-related incidents were of Hindus, countering what she called the BJP’s attempt to polarise the issue. Reiterating that 40 people died due to the “hasty implementation” of SIR, she added that she herself had not uploaded her name on the list and would do so only after everyone’s name is included.
The Chief Minister further alleged that the Centre “would have imposed President’s Rule in Bengal” if she had refused to allow the SIR.
She accused Union Home minister Amit Shah of “orchestrating the exercise”, while urging people not to panic and to submit their documents.
She predicted that the BJP would fare worse in the 2026 Assembly polls because of its handling of SIR.
Banerjee also reaffirmed that Waqf properties would be protected, describing Bengal as a “safe and inclusive state”. She said the government had passed a law in the Assembly to prevent the forcible takeover of such properties.
Dismissing rumours, she said: “Some miscreants are spreading lies that religious sites have been recorded as mosques or graveyards under Collector Khatian No. 1. This is completely false.” Murshidabad has recently witnessed large-scale violence linked to protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act. Calling the BJP “Bangla Birodhi”, Banerjee referred to the deportation of pregnant woman Sonali Khatun and others to Bangladesh, alleging that Bengalis were being branded as Bangladeshis. “We moved the Supreme Court,” she reminded the crowd.
he also questioned why the SIR was not being implemented in BJP-ruled states bordering Bangladesh. “Why no SIR in Assam and Tripura? Do they not share a border with Bangladesh?” she asked.
arning voters against fragmentation, Banerjee cited examples from Bihar. “There, they put up four Independents in each seat. If Independents cut votes, the loss is yours and the benefit is theirs,” she said.
Her rally came just hours after the TMC suspended its Bharatpur MLA, Humayun Kabir, for comments relating to a proposed “Babri Masjid-style” mosque in Murshidabad. Without naming him, Banerjee reiterated that the Trinamool Congress “does not practise communal politics”.
Evoking the district’s history, she said Murshidabad would never accept attempts to instigate riots. “Siraj-ud-Daulah is revered in every home here. The people of Murshidabad will not accept the politics of riots,” she said.
