Remove one eligible voter under SIR & we’ll topple BJP govt: Mamata

Kolkata: Accusing the BJP and the Election Commission (EC) of using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as a ‘political tool’ to intimidate voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, Bengal Chief Minister (CM) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that her party will ensure the fall of BJP government at the Centre if names of any eligible voters are removed in the name of the SIR.

“If a single eligible voter is removed from the electoral rolls, we will ensure the fall of this BJP government,” Mamata said while addressing the massive rally in protest of SIR.

Challenging the BJP’s repeated claims of “illegal voters” in Bengal, Banerjee asked: “How many Rohingyas or Bangladeshis were found in Bihar after the SIR there?”

Branding the current revision exercise as “hurried and politically motivated,” she also pointed out that merely speaking in Bengali does not make someone a Bangladeshi and accused the BJP of spreading fake news and communal propaganda to malign Bengalis.

“The BJP does not want to win on the basis of votes, but on the strength of notes. If this electoral roll is fake, then how did the BJP win previous elections held on the basis of the same list?” she asked.

“Do we have to prove our citizenship before the BJP after being born and brought up in this land?” she asked again.

After leading a massive rally, CM Mamata charged that the Election Commission was selectively conducting the revision drive in opposition-ruled states while sparing BJP-ruled ones.

“The EC is conducting SIR in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, but not in BJP-ruled Assam. The poll body must also reply why there is no SIR in BJP-ruled Assam, Tripura, and other northeastern states,” she demanded.

She also stated that many workers in the unorganised sectors are worrying about their names on the list. Just because you speak in Bengali, that does not make you Bangladeshi.

“They are calling everyone Bangladeshi. They are illiterates who have nothing in their heads! Where was the BJP during India’s freedom struggle? They were not even born, so how will they know about it?” Mamata asked.

Accusing the BJP of creating fake narratives using AI, she said: “They are the biggest zamindars of India, they are the biggest looters. They have used so many agencies to spread fake news. I tell them that in the coming days, you will no longer be in power, so this will backfire.

Mamata also alleged that the BJP won the 2024 elections by using money and also because of the EC.

“They (BJP) would not even have won in 2024. Suddenly, the ECI increased its vote percentage. Is this a victory? What did they do in Maharashtra? They know they cannot win by votes, so they want to win through notes.

“How much did you have to pay for Aadhaar cards? Rs 1,000 was taken for it; was it not theft? Ask them to answer. When you go to the bank to open an account, they want Aadhaar linking. Whom are you deceiving?” asked Banerjee.

“I am hearing that a few traitors say they will not win if names are not removed. They say they got 39 per cent vote-share and Trinamool got 40 per cent, but as far as I remember, in 2004, I got 39 per cent vote-share and won alone as a TMC candidate in Bengal. Now, if you think you will win 294 seats by cutting 2-3 per cent vote-share, then you are living in a fool’s paradise. Your voters will now vote for us because they care about their existence,” she added.

Mamata alleged that the name of Dwijen Mukhopadhyay, a legendary figure of Rabindra Sangeet, was not there in the new list after mapping. “If they can remove his name, they can remove everyone else’s name,” she said.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee, during the protest march, said that his party would take the fight to Delhi if needed. He claimed that seven people ended their lives in 7 days in Bengal due to fear of SIR.

He also asserted that a massive protest would be organised in Delhi if the names of any genuine voters are deleted.

“The next 2026 election (WB Assembly election) is not a fight to win and choose Mamata Banerjee as the CM for the fourth time, but the next election is about bringing the BJP to zero seats,” Abhishek asserted.