NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a targeted attack on West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader on Tuesday. Mamata BanerjeeShe accused her government of failing to allocate land for the construction of a border fence on the border with neighboring Bangladesh, which would have allowed infiltration through the state’s eastern borders.However, CM Mamata hit back, backing away from his allegations and claiming that “people will not allow the BJP to come to power in West Bengal.”
Reiterating that “BJP will stop infiltration” as West Bengal heads towards the 2026 general elections, he further claimed that the Mamata government “is not allocating land for setting up a border fence with Bangladesh”. Highlighting the broader implications, Shah said infiltration has become a national security issue and not a state-limited issue. He said: “Infiltration across Bengal borders is not just a problem limited to Bengal, it is now a matter of national security. We have to save the culture of the country. If we have to ensure the security of the country, we need a patriotic government here to seal the borders.” Mamata Banerjee can’t do it, only BJP can do it.”Shah sharpened his criticism and added, “It is the West Bengal government that is not providing land for setting up border fences along Bangladesh… Can the CM answer why infiltration has stopped on the borders of Tripura, Assam, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kashmir and Gujarat? That is because in West Bengal, infiltration is taking place under your watch to bring about demographic change and strengthen your votes… The next election will be on the issues of stopping infiltration and Remove intruders from here.”..Infiltration from the Bengal border is a matter of national security.”In Calcutta, Shah also accused the TMC of “outdoing the Left in establishing politics of fear and violence”.On women’s safety, he said, “Women’s safety is a big issue. They (TMC) say women should not go out after 7 pm. Are we living in the Mughal era? It is the government’s responsibility to ensure safety whenever the need arises.”Taking aim at TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and CM Mamata, Shah said, “Here only ‘Bhaipo’ has the right to make money and no one else.”Expressing confidence in the BJP’s performance in the upcoming elections, Shah said, “In 2026, the BJP will form a government in West Bengal with a two-third majority.”He also referred to the BJP’s electoral performance in the state and said, “In the 2014 elections, we got 17% votes and two seats… in the 2021 assembly elections, we got 38% votes and 77 seats… the party which had only three seats secured 77 seats in just five years…” The Congress…reached absolute zero…the communist alliance…couldn’t get even a single seat and we became the main opposition.”Shah also appealed to voters, saying the people of Bengal had given the Congress, the Left and the TMC a chance to rule and it was time to “give the BJP a chance”. He also assured the Matua community that they have “no reason to fear” and added that the BJP will “accommodate all religiously persecuted refugees in India.”
