Take vote ‘revenge’ for insult to Prez: Shah to tribal groups
Times of India | 12 April 2026
Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday asked tribal communities in the state to use their votes to "take revenge" for the continuous insults directed at President Droupadi Murmu by Trinamool. BJP would elect a "son of the soil" as the CM if it assumes office, he added.
"Droupadi Murmu ji came to meet tribal community members in Bengal, and Mamata ji insulted her. I have come to appeal to every tribal brother and sister to avenge the insult to Murmu ji through Mamata Banerjee. She cannot accept that a poor, tribal daughter has become the President of India," Shah said at a rally in Chhatna, Bankura, calling on tribal community members to "avenge" the disrespect through their votes.
Shah addressed two rallies in Chhatna, Bankura, and Baghmundi, Purulia — two districts with significant tribal populations — and blamed TMC for dividing Santhals and Kurmis for 15 years.
Accusing both TMC and Congress of neglecting tribal communities for decades, Shah said "neither Mamata Banerjee nor Congress" ever elected a member of the tribal community to the post of President. "Narendra Modi ji decided to make a Santhal sister the President of India. It was an honour to the entire tribal community," he said.
At his Baghmundi rally, Shah said BJP has pledged to include both Kurmali and Rajbanshi languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Earlier, PM Modi, while addressing a rally at Kushmandi in South Dinajpur, also touched upon the "insult to the first tribal woman President" in Bengal.
Harping on BJP's promise to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC) within six months of assuming office, Shah said it would end "appeasement politics", arguing that a single law should apply to all citizens regardless of religion. "Some people have four wives. Nobody will be able to have four wives after UCC is implemented," he said.
Shah reiterated BJP's promise to end "love jihad" and the usurping of land by "infiltrators" through "land jihad". He also took a dig at TMC's "corruption", claiming that crores sent by the central govt for development projects were usurped by TMC men.
Shah also promised to lift the ban on potato exports. "Potato farmers are forced to sell their produce for Rs 2/kg. The day BJP assumes office, the ban on potato exports will be lifted that same night," he added.