Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday attacked Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee for playing the “victim card” whenever elections get closer, alleging that she has created an imaginary monster from the electoral roll for the Special Intensive Review (SIR).
“Mamata has always played the politics of the victim card. Sometimes she breaks her leg, ties a bandage on her head, falls ill, abuses the Election Commission. But the people of Bengal understand her politics of playing the victim card,” Shah said in Kolkata while issuing a 40-page “charge sheet” attacking the TMC over infiltration, appeasement policies, women’s security, corruption and deteriorating law and order ahead of the assembly scheduled for 23-29. April. Opinion polls.
Shah said SIR is being held across the country. “Except Bengal, no judicial officers have been deployed in any other state. What is the reason?” The SIR was also detained in the election-bound states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, but no cases have been filed before the courts, he said. “But what happened in Bengal that the Supreme Court had to deploy judicial staff? Mamata Banerjee has to answer to the people on this. Your district judges did not work fearlessly. That is why the Supreme Court had to deploy judicial staff.”
He said the only reason to oppose SIR is because it wants to protect hackers and return to power for another term, so it can allow more over the next five years. But your dream will never come true,” Shah said.
Shah has promised to “expel” infiltrators from all over the country, calling it the BJP’s commitment and agenda. “Let Mamata claim anything.”
When asked about the spate of attacks on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, Shah criticized Banerjee for blurring the gap between them and unregistered Bengali infiltrators. “Mamata has skillfully eliminated the difference between Bengali-speaking people and Bangladeshis. The infiltrators from Bangladesh also speak Bengali. I want to assure the people of Bengal that no one will harass the indigenous people of Bengal. There is no need to worry. But it does not mean that the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators will be given shelter here.”
The people of Bengal understand the tricks you are playing, he said. “Try to come up with some new tricks that may help create the illusion. The people of Bengal will not be fooled by her old tricks.”
The TMC has issued a ‘counter charge sheet’ attacking Shah over the violence in Manipur, bombings in Delhi, the 2024 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, withholding of funds from West Bengal, attacks on Bengali-speaking people, etc.
State Minister Bratya Basu said: “The Shah issuing an indictment is equivalent to a judge and a criminal sharing the same chair. A report issued by your ministry indicates that Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, the three states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, top the list of crimes against women.”
Basu added that the Center has stopped all funds directed to West Bengal. “he [Shah] He says the demographics have changed in West Bengal. Do they need to return Gujarat? [riots] Also here to fix demographics? Basu said Shah did not utter a single word about Manipur. “The entire nation witnesses what happens when a clown sits on the judge’s chair,” Basu said.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra accused Shah of describing Bengalis as Bangladeshis. “You have declared every Bengali a criminal,” she said. “You have insulted us, deprived us, criminalized us, and harassed us.”
