SIR is a BJP tool to harass Bengalis, says Abhishek Banerjee
Telegraph | 11 January 2026
Abhishek Banerjee said on Saturday that 70 people had died in Bengal because of the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list, which, according to him, was a part of the BJP’s attempt to harass the people of the state.
“We have lost 70 lives altogether in this deadly attempt of the BJP to harass people of Bengal in the name of the SIR. The BJP is anti-Bengal and anti-Bengali. They have not only strangled Bengalis financially but also caused the deaths of many of them,” the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress said at a rally in Bankura’s Saltora.
The second in command in Trinamool attacked the BJP for saying that Bengal had infiltrators and his party was protecting and patronising them.
“Is Dev an infiltrator? If the BJP has the guts, they should tell us how many Bangladeshis and Rohingya have been identified among the 54 lakh people whose names have been deleted from the electoral roll,” he told the rally in Saltora.
Dev, the Ghatal MP of Trinamool, has been summoned for a hearing as part of the SIR
Abhishek equated the “harassments” of people during demonetisation with the ongoing SIR in the state.
“Ten years ago, they made you stand in queues in the name of demonetisation. Now, people who have lived all their lives here have to stand in line to prove their citizenship. Do BJP leaders like Subhash Sarkar and Saumitra Khan have their own birth certificates?” asked the Diamond Harbour MP.
Sarkar was the former BJP MP from Bankura and union minister of state for education, while Khan is a BJP MP from Bishnupur. He described the BJP as a “trouble” and said making them (BJP) win was like inviting trouble.
“The BJP activists beat up a poor street vendor for selling chicken patties during the Gita recital event in Calcutta. Imagine what would have happened if they come to power in Bengal. Don’t invite trouble into your life,” Abhishek said.
He said the BJP leaders were calling those who speak Bengali Bangladeshis. “Those who speak in Bengali are being tagged as Bangladeshi. Prime Minister Modi wants to decide what you will eat. The BJP wants to dictate your way of life. Do you want them?”
he asked.
“Those who beat up the chicken patties seller will not be able to recite a single
shloka from the Gita. “BJP wants to come to power in Bengal by killing Hindus. Altogether 70 persons were killed during the SIR and 50 of them were Hindus. Earlier, out of 140 people who died during demonetisation, 122 were Hindus. You have all the agencies, forces and media, but people of Bengal are with us,”
he said.
Abhishek said a BJP state committee member had issued a diktat against the beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar, saying they should be locked indoors so that they did not go out to vote for Trinamool.
“The BJP wants to imprison women and stop Lakshmir Bhandar. The scheme benefits 2.30 crore women in Bengal. We spent ₹27,000 crore every year to run the scheme,”
he said.
Abhishek also highlighted local issues like the water scarcity in the Bankura district. “Water scarcity is a major issue in this region. The central government has not cleared funds worth ₹2,500 crore for water supply. Will you not teach a lesson to those who block funds for water, housing, infrastructure, and education? In 2021, Trinamool won only four out of 12 seats in Bankura. This time, we need to make sure that all 12 seats are won by the Trinamool. If we win, you will get your rights. If the BJP wins, you will face only deprivation,” he cautioned people.