West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the BJP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists as a “clever ploy” to destabilise and topple her 14-year-old Trinamool Congress government ahead of the Assembly elections. Addressing a protest rally against the SIR in Malda district, Banerjee asserted that such attempts would fail.
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP, Banerjee said the party was “digging its own grave” by pushing for a voter list revision just before the polls. “They cannot take over Bengal. The people of Bengal will never support you. Bengal is different from Bihar,” she told the gathering in north Bengal.
‘Hasty’ SIR Has Created Fear Among People
The chief minister claimed that the Election Commission’s “hasty” decision to conduct the SIR had created widespread fear. She clarified that her party was not opposed to either the SIR or the Census but objected to the timing. “It needs time. You are desperate to do it during the elections. You are behaving like zamindars,” she alleged. Banerjee further claimed that 39 people had died in the state due to the SIR process, 13 were battling for their lives in hospitals, and three had attempted suicide. “Why this hurry? Is it to overwhelm the state government and derail its development plans before the polls?” she asked.
‘I Am the Watchman of Bengal’
Seeking to reassure residents, Banerjee said she was standing guard for the people of the state. “I am assuring the women and sisters of Malda, do not worry. No one will be sent to a detention camp. I am guarding you,” she said, adding that the TMC was setting up helpdesks for those whose names were allegedly dropped from the voter list during the revision.
The TMC chief also accused “communal forces” of attempting to divide society. She said her government had passed resolutions in the Assembly and moved the Supreme Court against the Waqf law. “As long as I am here, I will not allow anyone to touch these places. I will not allow the politics of religion. I love all religions,” she said.
Rejecting the BJP’s claims on Hindutva, Banerjee said the party should not try to “teach” her about faith. “We have built the Jagannath temple in Digha, skywalks at Kalighat Temple and Dakshineswar, and we are setting up a Durga Angan and a Mahakal temple. What have you done?” she asked.
Escalating her rhetoric, Banerjee likened the BJP to a “bed bug”. “They bite till you remove them. They must be removed politically so Bengal is no longer harmed,” she said. She also emphasised that she had not come to Malda seeking votes. “I have not come to ask for votes. I have come to stand by you. Do not be afraid. No one will go to a detention camp. Your names will not be dropped. Bengal will remain safe,” she said.
Last month, following Banerjee’s request to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to halt the SIR in West Bengal, Home Minister Amit Shah said that some political parties were trying to protect infiltrators. “Preventing infiltration is essential for the country’s security and to protect our democratic system from corruption,” Shah had said, adding that certain parties were opposing the ‘ghuspaithiya hatao’ campaign and the voter list purification drive under the SIR, without naming any party.