Minutes after Narendra Modi exhorted people of West Bengal to punish the Mamata Banerjee-led government at a BJP rally in Singur, it was TMC general secretary and party heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee who countered the prime minister, saying the “people of Bengal won’t bow down before tyrants in Delhi”.
Addressing a huge crowd on a road-crossing atop his vehicle in Chapra area of Nadia district as part of Jitbe Abar Bangla Yatra, the TMC MP said, “PM said ‘paltano dorkar, tai BJP sarkar’ (change is needed, therefore the BJP government). They (BJP) want to change the people of Bengal. But the people of Bengal have not changed Modi-ji… TMC and the people of Bengal will not change. We will not bow our heads to the tyrants in Delhi. If anyone changes, that will be the leaders of the BJP. The zamindars of Gujarat will change. They tried to teach us a lesson by stopping funds for building roads, but we have spent Rs 8,000 crores and built over 20,000 km of roads across Bengal. You have not given us 10 paise, but Bengal has not stopped.”
Accusing the Modi-led government at the Centre of “punishing” the people of Bengal by “withholding Central funds, the TMC MP from Diamond Harbour said, “You (BJP) want to change the people of Bengal by punishing them. You have stopped 100-day work, water, snatched away the roof over their heads… You want the people of Bengal to surrender, bow their heads before you.”
“The people of Bengal will not change, but I agree with you that change is required. The change will come. You (BJP) used to start programs with Jai Shri Ram. Now, you start by chanting Jai Maa Kali and Jai Maa Durga… Poriborton hobe (there will be a change). After 2026, Modi will come to Bengal to chant ‘Joy Bangla’… In the coming days, the people of Bengal will throw you out of power in Delhi after electing the TMC for the fourth time in the state,” Abhishek said.
Hitting out at the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over attacks on Bengali migrant workers in the BJP-ruled states and the deletion of 58 lakh voters’ names as part of the SIR exercise in West Bengal, Abhishek said, “They labelled us Bangladeshi and Rohingya… The BJP is conspiring to delete and cut names from this state’s voters’ list forcefully. What have they done for the Hindus? They have questioned the lineage of Maa Durga. They have sent SIR notice to (Nobel-winning economist) Amartya Sen. If we are illegal, then even Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are illegal… Previously, people decided who would form the government. Now, the government is deciding who will vote.”
Accusing the Centre of misusing central agencies against opposition parties ahead of elections, Banerjee said, “They tried to steal TMC data before elections, but we have people’s support.” “They (BJP) have everything from ED, CBI, and a section of the media. They put the central agencies behind me before the 2021 elections, but failed. Now they are resorting to falsehood,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the TMC, in a post on X, accused the prime minister of peddling lies. “Singur doesn’t take kindly to liars. Never has, never will. This is the land that buried corporate land-grab politics. So when PM Narendra Modi stood in Singur today and claimed that no investments are coming to Bengal, he wasn’t just distorting facts, he was insulting the intelligence of Bengal’s people.”
Singur doesn’t take kindly to liars. Never has, never will. This is the land that buried corporate land-grab politics. So when PM @narendramodi stood in Singur today and claimed that no investments are coming to Bengal, he wasn’t just distorting facts, he was insulting the… pic.twitter.com/DiQdbt3DYj
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) January 18, 2026
“Regret to inform him that Singur is back on the mainstream industrial map. Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, our Maa-Mati-Manush Sarkaar has approved a Rs 500-crore state-of-the-art warehouse project on 11.35 acres in Singur, strengthening e-commerce logistics for players like Amazon and Flipkart and creating large-scale employment opportunities for local youth,” the TMC posted on X handle.