Bongaon, Nov 25 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday flayed the EC over the SIR of electoral rolls, claiming that voters in the state’s Matua-majority areas would be “immediately delisted” if declared foreigners under the CAA, and urged people not to resort to extreme steps under fear of the exercise.
Addressing a rally here, Banerjee asserted that she would “shake” the BJP’s foundation if challenged in Bengal, and later escalated her attack by predicting the saffron camp “will not stay in power in 2029”, as Bengal “understands the poll game unlike Bihar”, where the INDIA bloc lost the elections post the SIR.
After the 2026 assembly polls, the CM said she would “tour the nation”, warning the BJP that “2029 will be a dangerous time for you”.
“Hurting the people of Bengal is hurting me. If you hurt me, I will shake the nation. Remember, an injured tiger is more dangerous,” she said.
In a high-voltage show of strength in the Matua heartland, Banerjee accused the BJP of weaponising the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to tilt the 2026 assembly polls.
Bongaon, a border area with a large population of Matua voters whose citizenship status the BJP seeks to consolidate through the CAA, has become the epicentre of the state’s political confrontation.
The TMC supremo told the gathering that people were being pushed into panic, as the SIR gained pace across districts.
She claimed that “35-36 deaths”, including several suicides, had already been linked to fears surrounding the exercise.
“Human lives are too precious. I urge you, don’t harm yourself under fear of SIR,” Banerjee said, promising that her government would stand by every affected household.
Her sharpest criticism was directed at what she called “misleading certificates” allegedly being issued by BJP-linked organisations in the Matua belt.
“They are cheating you. Certificates dated November-December 2025 state that you lived in Bangladesh till 2002. This is a huge fraud,” she said, claiming that such documents would automatically brand applicants as foreigners.
Reiterating her stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Banerjee said that any person declaring Bangladeshi origin to apply for citizenship would be “immediately delisted as a voter”.
“If those who voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are not genuine, the BJP-led central government has no right to govern,” the chief minister asserted.
She alleged that the SIR was being carried out in an “unprecedented, coercive, two-month crash mode” instead of the two-three years taken during the last revision in 2002.
“The draft list will show the disastrous situation created by the EC and BJP,” she said, accusing the poll body of operating on “instructions from Delhi” and turning into “a BJP Commission”.
Banerjee also accused the EC of planning to use “AI as a tool for manipulation”, and attacked its “bureaucratic highhandedness”, claiming that 10 booth-level officers (BLOs) engaged in SIR duties were hospitalised and three others had died.
She cited a case in Nadia where a man allegedly blamed the EC before his death.
“The Commission has engaged a ‘chota babu’ (CEO Manoj Agarwal) here who threatens BLOs with jail and job loss. He will retire in five months,” she alleged.
The day’s political flashpoint, however, came before the rally when the chief minister claimed that her hired helicopter, scheduled to land at 12.30 pm, was abruptly grounded.
“I have not used a helicopter for seven or eight months. But, this morning around 10 am, just before leaving home, I was informed that the chopper cannot fly,” said the CM, who eventually travelled by road, reaching the rally venue around 2 pm.
“Before the elections even begin, the confrontation has started. But it helped me. On the way, I met so many people,” Banerjee said.
She also asserted that the BJP could “use all the agencies” but still “won’t be able to fight” her politically.
The BJP dismissed the chief minister’s allegations of sabotage.
“The charges are laughable,” state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said.
“If the authorities decided that the helicopter cannot fly, there must have been valid reasons. She should stop politicising everything,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior bureaucrats described the incident as a serious procedural lapse, saying the helicopter, unused by the CM for nearly six months, had completed its mandated trial flight on Monday, but its expired licence and lapsed insurance went undetected during checks.
Countering the BJP’s charge of infiltration, Banerjee said, “Border security is the Centre’s responsibility. If infiltrators are entering, how is the state responsible unless the Centre is complicit?” She also questioned why the SIR was being conducted in BJP-ruled states.
“Does that mean you accept there are ‘ghuspaithiyas’ in the double-engine-ruled states?” she asked.
“In Bihar, they could not catch your game. But, we will catch your game here. The BJP will also lose in Gujarat in the next elections,” Banerjee claimed.
Reaching out to the Matua community, Banerjee said she was “not here to ask for votes” but to reassure them that “no genuine voter will be removed”.
She also attacked the Matua Mahasangha faction led by BJP MP and Union minister Shantanu Thakur, saying, “You are paying money to get Hindu cards and Matua cards. Such certificates will highlight that you are Bangladeshi. Don’t go for such cards.” PTI PNT AMR NN PNT RBT
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