Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched a direct and personal attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, mocking her injuries during election seasons, and accused her of playing the “victim card”.
“Mamata Didi…sometimes she ties a real/fake bandage on her leg, and sometimes on her head. In this election, tie a bandage on your head, your feet, or wherever you like—the people of Bengal are not going to vote for you,” he said, addressing massive crowds at the Ramsagar Fishery Ground and Ethani Football Ground in West Bengal’s Bankura district.
Shah asserted that a BJP government would ensure “one law for all”, specifically targeting the practice of polygamy. “No one will be able to have four wives. There will be equal laws for everyone,” he said.
He also reached out to the Santhal community, accusing Banerjee of insulting President Droupadi Murmu during her visit to the state. “Narendra Modi ji honoured the tribes by making our Santhal sister the President. Mamata ji cannot bear that a poor tribal girl has reached the top. You must take revenge for this insult in this election,” he said.
Dismissing rumours of a “Delhi rule”, Shah assured the crowd that the next chief minister of Bengal would be a “Bhoomiputra (son of the soil)” who speaks Bengali.
Vowing to end ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’, he promised a safer environment for women. “Mamata Didi says no one should go out after 7 pm. Build a BJP government, and women will be able to roam safely even at 1 am,” Shaha added.
He also unveiled a slew of financial incentives aimed at key voting blocs and reminded people of the BJP’s manifesto, which promised Rs 21,000 for pregnant mothers, Rs 3,000 a month for women, hiked farmer assistance under the PM Kisan scheme of Rs 9,000, Minimum Support Price for paddy at Rs 3,100, etc. He also announced a new AIIMS in North Bengal and free bus travel for women in state-run buses.
Addressing local grievances in Bankura, Shah criticised the ban on potato exports to neighbouring states. “She [Mamata Banerjee] forces farmers to sell potatoes for Rs 2. Bring a BJP government, and your potatoes will reach neighbouring states the very same day. We will no longer have to bring potato seeds from Punjab,” he said.
Targeting the various scams—including SSC recruitment, cattle smuggling, and PM Awas Yojana—Shah warned that the “syndicate raj” in the state would face severe consequences.
“Press the button so hard on April 23 that the infiltrators feel the electric current in Delhi,” Shah urged voters. He also promised that a committee would be formed to recover “every penny” stolen by TMC leaders and return it to the poor.
Shah also referred to the 300-plus BJP workers allegedly murdered in the state. “After the BJP government is formed on May 5, the killers will be sent to jail,” he said.