Mamata calls Amit Shah 'dangerous,' slams SIR, says no one 'will be driven out of Bengal'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday launched a blistering attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling him dangerous. The TMC supremo also asserted that she would sit on a dharna if the name of a single voter is deleted from the electoral roll. Addressing a public meeting in Krishnanagar in Nadia district, the chief minister said, The country's home minister is dangerous. You can see it in his eyes... it's terrifying. In one eye, you see 'Duryodhan', and in the other, 'Dushasan'. Alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being used as a political weapon ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, the CM said, If even a single eligible voter's name is struck off, I will sit on a dharna. There will be no detention camps in West Bengal. They are so hungry for votes that they are conducting the SIR just two months before elections. Banerjee said that she herself had not filled out her enumeration form so far. Do I now need to prove my citizenship to a party of rioters? she said, in an apparent reference to BJP. Accusing the Centre of targeting Bengalis, Banerjee said, We have a (Union) home minister who can do anything to label all Bengalis as Bangladeshis and send them to detention camps. But we will not allow anyone to be driven out of West Bengal. We know very well how to bring someone back if they are forced out. The chief minister further alleged that the Election Commission was deploying officers aligned with the BJP to influence the process. Some BJP-backed people are being sent from Delhi to keep an eye on things in West Bengal. They are overseeing the work of district magistrates during SIR hearings, she claimed. The CM also condemned the assault on two Muslim food vendors selling non-vegetarian patties near a Gita Path event in Kolkata, asserting that such incidents will not be tolerated in the state. Speaking at a public meeting in Krishnanagar, Mamata said, All of them (accused) have been arrested. This is West Bengal, not Uttar Pradesh. They beat up patty sellers. We arrested everyone last night. Three people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting the vendors at the 'Paanch Lokkho Konthe Gita Paath' (Gita recitation in five lakh voices) at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on December 7. According to the complainants, they were attacked when they had gone to the venue to sell chicken patties. The accused reportedly threw away their stock and forced them to perform sit-ups while holding their ears. A video of the incident went viral on social media. Referring to the mass Bhagavat Gita recital event held in Kolkata, which saw several senior BJP leaders in attendance, the TMC supremo slammed the saffron party for invoking religious texts for political mobilisation. I do not believe in communal divisions. I want to walk with all religions. We all recite the Gita at home whenever we need to. Why organise a public meeting? Gods stay in the heart. Those who pray to Allah do so in their hearts. During Ramzan and during Durga Pujo, we pray together, she said. I want to ask those who keep chanting 'Gita, Gita', what did Sri Krishna say about dharma? Dharma means to uphold, not to divide, she added. They want to destroy West Bengal. They want to capture the state and stop people from speaking in Bengali. We all read and recite the Gita. What is the need to hold a meeting for that? the CM said. (With inputs from PTI) 'What was the hurry': TMC's Sagarika Ghose asked govt on deportation of migrant workers to Bangladesh
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