BJP in ‘democratic struggle’ to win state election: Samik
The Statesman | 10 January 2026
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Friday said his party has embarked on a “democratic struggle” and made it clear that the BJP does not seek to win elections by removing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee through any administrative or legal manoeuvre.
“We do not want to take action against Mamata Banerjee and remove her elsewhere in order to win elections. The people of Bengal have united. They want liberation,” Bhattacharya told reporters at Bagdogra Airport.
Accusing the Trinamul Congress of politicising investigative agencies, he said the ruling party in the state was panicking over the SIR. “The way the TMC uses the West Bengal Police and the CID for political purposes, it now believes the BJP is doing the same with the ED and the CBI. That is why Trinamul is reacting in this manner,” he said.
Bhattacharya asserted that public protests by the Chief Minister would not change the political reality in the state. “No matter how many dharnas, sit-ins or padyatras Mamata Banerjee undertakes, the people of Bengal will ultimately consign her to the sidelines. People have realised that there is no constitutional system left in West Bengal. Those who once brought her to power will now reject her,” he claimed.
Launching a sharp attack on the Chief Minister, Bhattacharya said: “She asks the questions and she writes the answers herself. This Chief Minister has turned West Bengal into a laughing stock before the entire country.”
He further alleged that the Chief Minister herself had exposed her party’s corruption. “Yesterday, she proved that her party is steeped in institutional corruption. The entire country can see it. What will be achieved by staging a dharna in the heart of Delhi?” he asked.
Claiming a breakdown of constitutional governance in the state, Bhattacharya said: “The Constitution does not exist in West Bengal. There is a total breakdown of constitutional machinery. This government has no respect for the Constitution. The custodians of the Constitution should take note of this and intervene.”
He accused Mamata Banerjee of undermining federal principles. “Although she speaks of federal structure, she considers herself the head of a separate state. That is why Raj Bhavan has no importance to her,” he said, adding that she did not believe in the fourth pillar of democracy. “She attacks the media and does not respect the judiciary. Judges are pressured and even threatened,” he alleged.