West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Thursday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of attempting to strip Bengalis of their voting rights. Speaking at the foundation day programme of the Trinamool Chatra Parishad, the party’s students’ wing, Mamata alleged that the BJP has sent “a 500-member team” to the state to conduct surveys aimed at deleting names from the electoral rolls.
“BJP is conducting a survey by bringing a 500-member team to delete names from the electoral roll. Don’t share your documents with them. Because they’re planning to collect your documents and remove your names from the voter list. Just take an Aadhar card because it’s a mandatory ID proof,” Mamata was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
She urged people not to disclose personal details to surveyors and instead verify directly at polling stations, stressing that Aadhaar has now been made compulsory for voter identification.
Mamata Slams ‘Linguistic Terror’ And Insults To Bengalis
Mamata accused the BJP of unleashing what she termed “linguistic terror” against Bengalis nationwide. She told the gathering that poor migrant workers from West Bengal were being unfairly labelled as Bangladeshis.
“You torture poor people by calling them Bangladeshis. But to me, poor people are my biggest strength. I don’t believe in caste or creed, I believe in humanity,” she said, according to news agency PTI.
Referring to a recent incident, the Chief Minister said, “Recently, a migrant worker from Habra was killed in Maharashtra, but these people (BJP) never raise their voice over such atrocities.”
Mamata further alleged that the BJP was trying to erase Bengal’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle. “If there is no Bengali language, then in which language were the national anthem and national song written? They want people to forget the historical role played by Bengalis. Now they are even funding movies to defame Bengal and insult our history,” she said.
Taking a swipe at the Election Commission, Mamata remarked, “I respect the office of the EC, but you know, lollipops suit children. If adults start taking lollipops on behalf of one party, it does not look good.”
Mamata Targets Centre Over Funds, ‘Weaponising’ Agencies
With the 2026 Assembly polls less than a year away, Mamata sharpened her criticism of the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of blocking state funds for welfare schemes out of “political jealousy.”
“For four to five consecutive years, Bengal was number one in providing 100 days’ work, building houses for the poor and constructing rural roads. Out of jealousy, they have stopped our funds, and now they want to impose the NRC to take away people’s voting rights. But as long as I am alive, nobody will be allowed to snatch away people’s voting rights,” she said.
Mamata also alleged that central agencies had been “weaponised” to harass opposition parties. “Earlier, no government used central agencies like this before elections. But the BJP has made it a routine,” she added.
Turning her attack towards the Left, the TMC chief accused the CPI(M) of aligning with the BJP. “The CPI(M) government in Kerala is claiming that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose fled the country in fear of the British. We condemn this,” she said.
Mamata Highlights Welfare Schemes And Development In Bengal
Listing her government’s social programmes, Mamata said that women and students had benefitted the most. She noted that 1.38 crore students had received bicycles under the Sabooj Sathi scheme, 53 lakh students had been provided tablets and smartphones through Taruner Swapna, while the Students’ Credit Card initiative had supported 92,000 youths.
“Our revenue has increased nearly 5.5 times since 2011, and between 2013 and 2023, we were able to bring 1.72 crore people out of poverty. While we empower women and students, the BJP runs a ‘corruption bhandar’ and promotes nepotism,” she said.
Apologising for delays in government recruitment drives and college admissions, Mamata blamed prolonged court cases for the setbacks. “Those who file case after case are the ones delaying recruitment and admissions. Then they blame us. They cannot fight us politically, so now they are fighting us in court,” she told supporters.
