‘She can go to Moon, Antarctica or anywhere; it’s her vacation’: Bengal BJP chief takes swipe at Mamata on ‘end of her era’
The Statesman | 11 May 2026
A day after the BJP formed its first government in West Bengal under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya mocked former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, declaring that her political era in the state had come to an end.
Bhattacharya said no alliance or political arrangement could bring Banerjee back to power and claimed that the BJP’s rise in Bengal was built on years of struggle and sacrifice by party workers.
In a strongly worded remark aimed at Mamata Banerjee, the Bengal BJP chief said she was free to travel anywhere but insisted that her political relevance in the state was over.
“She can go to the Moon, she can go to Antarctica, she is free to go anywhere; it is her vacation,” Bhattacharya told IANS.
The statement came amid intensifying political exchanges following the dramatic power shift in West Bengal after the BJP’s victory in the Assembly elections.
The Bengal BJP chief also issued a warning against any attempts to create unrest or disturb law and order following the change in government.
“We also have many challenges, as many people became part of the BJP within just four hours. We want to tell TMC people not to try to create such an atmosphere. Power has changed hands now. No one will be spared. Anyone indulging in hooliganism will be sent to jail,” he said.
Bhattacharya said the BJP’s rise to power in Bengal was the result of decades of dedication and sacrifice by party workers across the country.
“Every worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, carrying the BJP flag, had this dream in their hearts that a government inspired by Syama Prasad Mukherjee should be formed in the land of Syama Prasad Mukherjee,” he said.
He further claimed that the party had reached power through the sacrifices of workers who lost their lives during political struggles in the state.
“We have come to power walking over the sacrifice and blood of 321 workers who lost their lives,” Bhattacharya added.
The remarks came a day after Suvendu Adhikari took oath as Chief Minister along with members of his Council of Ministers, marking a major political shift in West Bengal and ending years of rule under Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress.