If you target me in Bengal, I’ll shake the nation, Mamata warns BJP
Kolkata: Unleashing a torrent of criticism against the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee, from a massive rally in Bongaon, assured the Matua community that nobody can throw them out as long as she was in power.
“Till I am here, I will not allow them to throw you out,” Banerjee told the gathering. “Nobody can throw you out. If Bangladeshi is a problem, then why are you not conducting SIR in Madhya Pradesh and UP?” she asked.
Addressing a rally opposing the SIR exercise before a three-km march to Thakurnagar, Banerjee asserted that she would “shake” the BJP’s foundation if challenged in Bengal, and later escalated her attack by predicting the saffron camp “will not stay in power in 2029”, as Bengal “understands the poll game unlike Bihar”, where the INDIA bloc lost the elections post the SIR.
Banerjee claimed that voters in the state’s Matua-majority areas would be “immediately delisted” if declared foreigners under the CAA, and urged people not to resort to extreme steps under fear of the exercise.
Elucidating her plans for holding nationwide protests against the SIR, Banerjee stated: “If they (BJP) hurt me, I will show what I can do. I will shake things up. I will move around India after the election.”
Accusing the BJP of political sabotage, Banerjee alleged a “conspiracy” behind the cancellation of her helicopter ride to Bongaon.
She was scheduled to land in Bongaon at 12.30 pm, but said she was told at 10 am that the hired helicopter would not fly, forcing her to travel by road. She eventually reached the venue at 2 pm. Banerjee warned the BJP not to “play” with her, saying she could not be cornered.
“I love Bangladesh as a country because we share the same language. I was born in Birbhum — otherwise they would have labelled me a Bangladeshi too,” she said.
Banerjee again warned that if the names of any citizens are deleted, the Central government should also be deleted.
“PM Modi got votes in the 2024 polls as per the same list. If your name gets deleted, the Central government should also be deleted,” she remarked.
The TMC chief also slammed the ECI for the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, claiming that voters in Matua-majority areas in the state would be “immediately delisted” if they declared themselves foreigners under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. She again alleged that the Election Commission was “no longer an impartial body, but has turned into a BJP Commission”.
She claimed that 35 to 36 people died due to the ECI’s “unplanned’ drive to purge the electoral roll, and said the entire process is being done in an “unplanned” way.
“For so many days, they didn’t conduct SIR. Now they will make you write that you were Bangladeshi and that you want to be Indian — and what will happen then? Don’t be afraid. Here, we will not allow them to touch you,” she said.
She claimed that the draft voter list would reveal “the disastrous situation created by the ECI and the BJP” and asserted that the Bihar poll outcome was the result of the SIR, as the “Opposition couldn’t gauge the BJP’s game there”.
She added that they would have supported the SIR had the exercise been conducted over a span of two to three years.
Banerjee blamed the BJP-led Central government for illegal infiltration, saying agencies like the Border Security Force (BSF) are under the Centre and responsible for protecting the border.
Banerjee made a bold electoral prediction, asserting that the BJP will lose Gujarat in the upcoming elections despite its desperate attempts to hold on to power.
“Border security falls under the jurisdiction of the Centre. So, how are we being accused of facilitating infiltration unless you were complicit? You tried the same trick in Bihar, but that will not be possible here. We have always unmasked your conspiracies. In the upcoming elections, the BJP will lose Gujarat. You may try your hardest to win Bengal, but you will lose Gujarat,” she added.
Banerjee’s rally and the public address in the heart of Matua land drew a massive crowd. Her 3-km walk from Chandpara Patpotti More to Dhakuria High School More became a vivid display of how freely people can approach her. She lifted a child onto her lap, hugged another woman, spoke to elderly residents, and handed chocolates to children.
