In a fierce critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, called for his resignation on Monday, asserting that he lacked the courage to address a warning issued by Pakistan’s Defence Minister.
Speaking to a large crowd during an election rally in Bethuadahari, Nadia district, Banerjee referenced Khawaja Asif’s comments, which threatened a retaliatory strike in Kolkata if India engaged in any “future misadventures.” She questioned, “Why does Prime Minister Modi not respond when Pakistan’s Defence Minister threatens Kolkata? Is there a plan for a Pahalgam-type attack before the elections? You have chosen silence because targeting Bengal is easy, but you lack the resolve to counter Pakistan’s threats. If Bengal is attacked, Bengal will retaliate against Delhi.”
Banerjee criticized Modi for not addressing this issue at his campaign event in Cooch Behar the previous day, asking whether the lives of Bengalis were of any concern to him or his administration. “Does Bengal not matter as part of the Indian Union? Is the state merely a tool for garnering votes, only to be neglected afterward?” she questioned.
Shortly after, TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, seen as a key figure in the party, echoed the Chief Minister’s sentiments, highlighting Asif’s threats from Pakistan while Modi focused on his campaign in Cooch Behar. He also pointed fingers at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for their silence on the issue. “Amit Shah often labels us as Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, yet remains quiet when Pakistan threatens Kolkata. Is this what you call a 56-inch chest?” he remarked.
He further asserted that under a government led by Mamata Banerjee, India would effectively respond to Pakistan. “Once Mamata Banerjee reaches Delhi and an INDIA alliance government is in power, we will confront them on their own turf,” he stated.
Earlier, Banerjee had alleged that a conspiracy was underway to target the people of Bengal during the elections, claiming that individuals were entering Bengal with drugs and that cash was being transported via flights. “We have evidence and will release videos,” she warned.
Continuing her criticism of the Election Commission regarding significant removals of legitimate voters from the electoral rolls during the contentious Special Intensive Revision process, the Chief Minister asserted that her efforts led to the restoration of approximately 24 lakh names. She also accused Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal of being accompanied by BJP members during his visit to Nandigram.
Banerjee alleged that individuals from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were being brought in to oversee the elections, and that illegal resources were being transferred through official channels. In response, Election Commission officials denied her accusations, stating that they were committed to ensuring peaceful and fair elections in the state, and that all deployments of central forces adhered to established protocols.
The Chief Minister also labeled central investigative agencies, such as the NIA and CBI, as instruments of the BJP-led government, asserting that these agencies were being misused to summon TMC leaders right before elections to undermine the democratic process. Recently, the CBI and ED had summoned four TMC candidates for questioning related to ongoing investigations.
While emphasizing that she and her party do not condone the gherao of judicial officers in Malda’s Mothabari, she mentioned that the BJP had profited from vote division in Bihar with the aid of AIMIM. “We do not endorse any form of violence, but the officer responsible for the mastermind’s arrest has been reassigned to Tamil Nadu,” she stated, in reference to IPS officer Supratim Sarkar’s new role as an observer.
Additionally, Banerjee accused the BJP of meddling in personal dietary choices, referencing incidents where vendors faced violence for selling non-vegetarian food in BJP-ruled states. “Bengalis will consume fish and rice. You secretly indulge in non-vegetarian food; don’t your leaders eat it as well?” she remarked, asserting that the people of Bengal would respond decisively at the polls.
