KOLKATA: In a sharp political offensive, Union Home Minister Amit Shah heavily criticized West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government on Tuesday. He accused the Mamata Banerjee-led administration of pushing the state into 15 years of “fear, corruption, misgovernance, and especially, infiltration.”
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Shah claimed an atmosphere of insecurity and worry has taken hold among the people of the state.
“For the last 15 years, Bengal has seen only fear, corruption, and misrule,” Shah said. “Infiltration from the Bangladesh border has filled people with dread and anxiety. This is no longer just Bengal’s problem; it has become a matter of national security for the entire country.”
He asserted that the Mamata Banerjee government is incapable of sealing the borders, a task he claimed only the BJP can accomplish. Shah said the public mood is now fully in favor of change.
“The people of Bengal now want a strong government of development, heritage, and welfare for the poor, instead of one of fear, corruption, misgovernance, and infiltration,” he stated. “For the last 14 years, fear and corruption have become Bengal’s identity.”
Promise of a “New Bengal”
Shah promised that if the BJP comes to power in the state, it will restore Bengal’s lost glory. “After April 15, 2026, when a BJP government is formed in Bengal, we will start a new chapter of the state’s pride, culture, and renaissance,” he declared. “We will build the Bengal envisioned by Swami Vivekananda, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, and Syama Prasad Mukherjee.”
Tough Stance on Infiltration
The Home Minister expressed serious concern over rising illegal immigration in West Bengal. “To keep the country safe, we need a patriotic government here that can completely seal the border. Mamata Banerjee cannot do this; only the BJP can,” he said.
Shah vowed, “The people of Bengal are deeply troubled by infiltration. We will not only identify infiltrators but will also deport them from the country. Mamata Banerjee is encouraging infiltration from Bangladesh for electoral gains.”
He further alleged that the fencing of the Bangladesh border remains incomplete because “the West Bengal government is not providing us with the land.”
Corruption and Stalled Development
Launching a broadside against the TMC, Shah claimed development has stalled in West Bengal due to corruption under Mamata Banerjee’s rule. He alleged that all of Prime Minister Modi’s beneficial central schemes are being “sacrificed to the toll syndicate” in the state.
The Home Minister also targeted a recent controversial official statement advising women not to go out after 7 PM, asking, “Are we living in the Mughal era? Mamata ji, this is independent India. To step out safely, whenever and wherever they wish, is every woman’s constitutional right. Your government has completely failed to provide this basic security.”
Economy and Political Violence
Shah also cornered the state government on the economic front, noting that Bengal has fallen from being India’s third-largest contributor to GDP to the 22nd position today.
Raising the issue of political killings, Shah claimed, “It is accepted by all that after the Communists lost, the politics of violence and vendetta would end. But now, the TMC has left even the Communists behind. Over 300 BJP workers have been killed so far.”
He appealed to the people of the state, saying that while the Congress, the Communists for 34 years, and the TMC for 15 years were given full chances and their record was of pushing Bengal backward, the BJP’s record is one of taking people forward.
