Kolkata now a city of slums because of infiltration: Shah
Times of India | 23 April 2026
Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday blamed Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for turning Kolkata into a "city of slums", alleging that her govt is allowing such settlements to shelter infiltrators and bolster its vote bank.
Addressing a rally in Dumdum, Shah said, "Kolkata is becoming a city of slums now. Didi does not feel the need to make Kolkata free of slums. She is rehabilitating the infiltrators in slums to inflate her vote bank."
"Infiltrators are consuming your resources. They are taking away the jobs of the youth. They are now a big question mark on the nation's security. Love jihad and land jihad will stop after May 5," the Union home minister added.
Attacking TMC and its INDIA bloc ally Congress, Shah said, "Mamatadidi is an ally to the same Congress which calls Modi a terrorist. Didi and Manmohan Singh govt were feeding biryani to terrorists."
Addressing a rally in Kolkata, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said it was time to stop encouraging "kathmulla" or fundamentalist netas. "We will not let that happen... Bengal has Kali, not Kaba, in its heart," he said.
In Kalna, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma targeted Banerjee, saying, "She should also learn to say ‘Jai Shree Ram' and take the name of goddess Durga and goddess Kali sometimes."
Earlier in the day, Shah promised to expand Kolkata Metro threefold, set up four industrial townships and revive nearly 7,000 industries.