West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government, claiming that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is a “silent, invisible rigging” targeting Bengali-speaking citizens.
Mamata questions SIR haste
Addressing thousands of supporters in Kolkata, Banerjee criticised the Election Commission’s accelerated timeline for the SIR, noting that the last revision in Bengal, conducted in 2002, took two years, while this exercise is being completed within a month. She demanded transparency from the EC, asking how many Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals were found during the SIR in Bihar.
Warning to BJP over voter deletions
The Chief Minister warned that if a single eligible voter is removed from West Bengal’s electoral rolls, her party would ensure the fall of the BJP government. Banerjee also accused the Centre of trying to influence elections through monetary means rather than legitimate votes, calling the SIR process a tool for political advantage.
Attack on BJP and Aadhaar policies
Mamata further said, “Talking in Bangla does not mean Bangladeshi, just like speaking in Hindi or Punjabi does not mean Pakistani. These idiots who did not fight for freedom do not know that India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan were one land before independence.” She criticised the Centre’s Aadhaar policies, asking why citizens had to pay for cards that were still declared invalid for voter or ration lists, and called the BJP a “lootera party” spreading fake news and misinformation.
Abhishek Banerjee warns of Delhi protest
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who marched alongside his aunt, accused the BJP of trying to intimidate voters, claiming that fear surrounding the SIR had already led to seven deaths. He urged supporters to prepare for a “mega protest in Delhi” if legal voters are removed from the rolls and compared the situation to Assam’s NRC, which he said stripped “12 lakh Hindu Bengalis of their rights.”
BJP hits back
The BJP reacted strongly, with West Bengal Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari calling the rally a “rally of Jamaat” and alleging it went against the Constitution. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya labelled it “Ghuspathiya Bachao Yatra,” accusing Banerjee of protecting illegal infiltrators to preserve her vote bank and highlighting a disproportionate 67% rise in voters in West Bengal since 2001.
Political row over SIR intensifies
The SIR is a nationwide verification drive aimed at removing duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters. While it was last conducted two decades ago, opposition parties allege the exercise is being used selectively to target marginalised communities. As the second phase expands to 12 states, including West Bengal, the political battle over voter verification continues to escalate, with Mamata Banerjee taking the fight directly to the streets.
