Mamata lashes out at BJP for their ‘anti-Bengal’ stance
The Statesman | 10 April 2026
The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, today continued her election campaign with meetings at Arambagh, Balagarh and Serampore in support of Trinamul Congress (TMC) candidates for the respective Assembly constituencies.
Striking an aggressive tone, she criticised the system and alleged that the Election Commission of India had deleted names from existing voter lists, thereby depriving innocent citizens of their constitutional right to vote. She claimed that nearly nine million names had been removed so far.
She accused the BJP and central agencies of being behind the deletions, alleging that even individuals who had once hosted BJP leader Amit Shah for lunch had found their names missing from the electoral rolls.
Ms Banerjee also criticised the Election Commission for “freezing” the electoral roll ahead of the first phase of the 2026 Assembly elections, claiming that this had prevented tribunals from addressing objections.
During a brief exchange on stage with Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee, the Chief Minister sought a legal explanation for the move. Mr Banerjee said that on 21 March the Supreme Court of India had directed that tribunals be set up for affected individuals whose names remained deleted. He added that it was the Election Commission’s responsibility to establish the necessary infrastructure for hearings, which, he claimed, had not been done. He further stated that the freezing of the electoral roll had been carried out under statutory provisions.
However, the Chief Minister expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the Election Commission, questioning the urgency of implementing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ahead of the Assembly elections. She remarked that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah could assume office based on the 2024 electoral roll, there was no justification for such a move now.
She added that at times she felt inclined to resume legal practice to fight such issues, but said her responsibilities as Chief Minister prevented her from doing so.
Targeting the BJP, Ms Banerjee accused the party of propagating distorted religious narratives to divide people. Referring to Ramakrishna Paramahansa, she said his teachings upheld the philosophy of Sarva Dharma Samanvaya ~ harmony among all religions ~ promoting love, compassion, brotherhood and communal harmony.
She also raised the issue of the closed Dunlop factory at Sahaganj, stating that the state Assembly had passed a Bill to take over and revive the unit in order to protect the livelihoods of thousands of workers. However, she alleged that despite a decade having passed, the Centre had not cleared the proposal. She further claimed that the factory’s owner had close links with the BJP and accused the party of being “anti-Bengal and anti-Bengali”.
Addressing the gathering, she said funds had already been allocated for housing and assured that, if returned to power, every beneficiary would receive a pucca house. She reiterated that her flagship scheme, Lakshmir Bhandar, would continue permanently.
She also highlighted development initiatives, including the North Damodar Basin project, with an estimated cost of Rs 3,000 crore for irrigation and flood control, as well as a major connectivity project linking north and south Bengal.
In her trademark combative style, Ms Banerjee warned that the BJP would “fall flat” in the forthcoming elections, adding that the party had only a few days left to mislead the public.