TMC dubs BJP’s ‘civilisational battle’ claim divisive politics

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday criticised BJP national general secretary BL Santosh’s remark calling the 2026 Assembly elections a “civilisational battle,” terming it divisive and politically motivated.

Senior TMC leader Shashi Panja said the real struggle was not to protect Bengal’s civilisation, but to safeguard India’s civilisational values from “uncivilised politics” of the BJP.

She asserted that under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, Bengal would demonstrate how to defeat the BJP electorally, a message she said would resonate nationally after the 2026 polls.

Calling Santosh’s remark inadvertently revealing, Panja said the BJP spent the last decade undermining India’s foundational values of pluralism, freedom, tolerance, and dignity, replacing them with hatred, intimidation and cultural dominance. She added that Bengal has historically played a leading role whenever democracy has been threatened, and would once again resist what ‘oppressive forces’.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said it was ironic for the BJP to lecture on civilisation. She highlighted Bengal’s contribution to India’s civilisational consciousness through figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Ghose alleged that the BJP’s politics thrives on division and intolerance, and poses a threat rather than a guardian to Indian civilisation.