Kolkata, Oct 27 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the TMC government in West Bengal of aiding “state-sponsored infiltration” and corruption, claiming that incidents of assault on women in Sandeshkhali and the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital are evidence that women are “not safe” in the state.
He also said that the “next big target” for the BJP is winning the West Bengal assembly polls in 2026 with a two-third majority, asserting that this is the only way to address corruption and infiltration.
The visiting union minister mentioned the infiltration issue in his two programmes, including a government event, during the day.
“In Bengal, where Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore songs) used to be heard in the morning, sound of bombs is heard everywhere now. In Bengal, state-sponsored infiltration is going on. Corruption in job hiring, health sector and rations along with cut money and syndicates, is rampant.
“To get rid of these and build a Sonar Bangla (Developed Bengal) as envisioned by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the people of Bengal need to elect a BJP government in 2026,” he said after launching the party’s membership drive in West Bengal, setting a target of enrolling one crore members from the state.
The cut-money culture and corruption must end in West Bengal, he said while setting a target of “winning a two-thirds majority” in the 2026 assembly polls.
Shah pointed to incidents in Sandeshkhali and that in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a woman doctor was raped and murdered in August, asserting that these exemplify the lack of security for women in West Bengal.
Ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha polls, allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district had surfaced and became one of the issues dominating the poll narratives.
“Women are not safe in Bengal. Incidents like Sandeshkhali and RG Kar will stop when BJP comes to power in 2026,” he said.
Shah urged party members not to underestimate their influence in the state, stating, “Mamata didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) must not be very happy that we got fewer seats in the Lok Sabha in Bengal. She should not think we are sitting idle as we got a few seats less (than our target).” The BJP, which had set a target of winning over 30 of the total 42 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal in 2024, secured only 12, six less than what it bagged in 2019.
“Don’t forget, we are a party that has gone from two seats to 370 seats and has taken steps like the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Of the state elections held in 2024, we have won more than 50 per cent. We have won in Haryana and we will win in Jharkhand and Maharashtra,” he said.
“After that, our next big target in 2026 is winning in Bengal and forming the next government with a two-thirds majority,” the BJP leader added.
Inaugurating a new passenger terminal building and a cargo gate ‘Maitri Dwar’ at Petrapole land port bordering Bangladesh earlier in the day, Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to the development of West Bengal.
“Bring in change in West Bengal in 2026. (We) will put an end to infiltration and ensure peace in the state,” Shah said.
He said land ports play an important role in establishing peace in the region.
“When there is no scope for the legal movement of people across the border, illegal modes arise, which impacts peace in the country… There can be peace in Bengal only when infiltration stops,” Shah said.
Land ports play an important role in improving connectivity and relations among neighbouring countries, he said.
The senior BJP leader said the prime minister started many initiatives across sectors like health since the NDA came to power in 2014.
“But the people of Bengal are deprived of the benefits given in the health sector. This deprivation will cease from 2026,” he claimed.
He slammed the TMC government in the state over the issue of “corruption”.
Shah alleged that a major portion of the funds sent by the Centre to West Bengal was “usurped due to corruption” in the state.
At the membership drive programme address, the Union Home Minister also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “celebrating” its performance in this year’s Lok Sabha elections.
“Rahul Gandhi claimed in Parliament that they defeated us in the elections, and I don’t understand why his allies don’t make him realise that those who win take the oath of Prime Minister and those who lose sit in the opposition benches,” Shah said.
About TMC’s allegations that the Centre was not releasing funds due to the state, Shah alleged that funds sent by the central government are being siphoned off by ruling party leaders.
“From 2004 to 2014, the UPA government gave Rs 2.9 lakh crore to Bengal, while the NDA government provided Rs 7.74 lakh crore from 2014 to 2024,” he said.
He asserted that from 2026, every poor person in Bengal will receive the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the central health insurance scheme which the TMC government did not implement in Bengal.
Responding to Shah’s accusations, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Infiltration is a problem at the international border, which is being guarded by the BSF under his ministry. Therefore, it is a failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the central agencies responsible for border protection.” Ghosh said Shah is viewed in Bengal as a “political tourist” who has little influence on local politics. PTI AMR DC PNT NN
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