The political battle escalated in West Bengal on Sunday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a sharp attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress over law and order, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged voters to “retaliate” over alleged deletions from electoral rolls during the intensified Special Review (SIR) exercise.
Elections in West Bengal are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with votes to be counted on May 4.
Modi talks about the Malda incident and calls it “Maha Jungalraj”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing an election rally in Cooch Behar, described the recent sit-in of judicial officials in Malda as a sign of “Maha Jungle Raj” under the TMC government, news agency PTI reported.
“Even when judicial personnel are not safe, how can you expect the common people to be safe under TMC rule? What happened in Malda is an example of the TMC’s Maha Jungle Raj,” Modi said, referring to the incident in which judges were allegedly detained for hours during protests over voter list reviews.
He further claimed that “democracy is bleeding every day on the sacred land of Bengal” and accused the Mamata Banerjee government of being “bent on killing law and order”.
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The Prime Minister also linked the issue to broader concerns about infiltration and governance. He claimed that there had been a “serious demographic change” in the border areas, and alleged that infiltrators were protected by TMC networks.
‘TMC’s time is up’, says PM, promises action after May 4
Stepping up his attack, Modi said the turnout at his rally indicated that “the Trinamool Congress’ time is up,” a separate ANI report said. “In these elections, fear will be driven out of Bengal. Confidence will be awakened by the BJP’s huge victory,” he said, urging voters not to be intimidated.
He warned against taking action after the results: “After May 4, the law will take its course, regardless of the size of the criminals. This time, justice will be achieved.”
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Comparing the BJP and the ruling party, Modi said: “On the one hand, there is fear of the TMC, and on the other hand, you have the confidence of the BJP… On the one hand, there is fear of infiltration, and on the other hand, there is confidence in the BJP that can keep infiltrators out of the state.”
Mamata responds and urges voters to “revenge”
In response to the BJP’s attacks, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on voters to use ballot boxes to respond to alleged irregularities in the voter list, PTI reported. “Cast your votes in retaliation for the deletion of people’s names, and against the SIR so that the results reflect that,” Banerjee said at a rally in Samserganj, according to PTI.
She claimed that names had been unfairly removed from electoral rolls, and urged aggrieved voters to resort to the courts.
The TMC chief also claimed that the deletions were politically motivated and hinted at the involvement of the central leadership.
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The report noted that Banerjee accused the Election Commission of “deleting the names of some, while intimidating others” during the SIR process.
She also raised concerns about the voting process, claiming that electronic voting machines might malfunction in certain areas, and instructed party workers to demand replacements rather than repairs if problems arise.
Questioning the need for fresh reviews, she questioned why the same electoral rolls used for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections could not be used again.
The Prime Minister also accused the BJP of “spreading poison” in the name of religion, and claimed that Hindu and Muslim voters were affected by the deletions.
