Mamata Banerjee challenges Amit Shah, vows to take fight to Delhi

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee predicts the BJP govt's fall in 2026, vowing to take the fight to Delhi. She challenged Amit Shah, accusing him of cutting Muslim votes and transferring hundreds of state officials ahead of the assembly polls.

'We will target Delhi': Mamata challenges Amit Shah

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a public meeting in Malda on Saturday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre will fall in 2026, stating that while the BJP is targeting Bengal, her party is preparing to take the fight to Delhi in the coming days. She said, "In 2026, the BJP government in Delhi will fall. They are targeting Bengal, we will target Delhi, stay prepared in the coming days."

Mamata Banerjee also launched a direct attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of cutting votes in Murshidabad and transfers of state officials. "I challenge Amit Shah to hold a public meeting here and talk to those whose names have been struck off and explain. You are the Home Minister of the country, and you give instructions over the phone to cut votes as soon as Muslims are seen, to cut votes in Murshidabad. Votes have been cut in my constituency too. Will you win like this? Elections are happening in 5 states, a total of 506 officers have been transferred across all, out of which 485 officers have been transferred in Bengal alone. I will tell the people to take revenge for this; those whose names have been cut should appeal in the tribunal," said CM.

'BJP Will Ruin The Country, Don't Respect Any Religion'

Earlier in the day, while addressing the public meeting at Manikchak, CM Banerjee said, "If you want to live peacefully for the next 5 years, then you must unite to stop the BJP. BJP will ruin the country. They don't respect any religion. They impose a religion that's manufactured by them. Maa Kali's prasad includes both fish and meat. What religion is the BJP trying to preach? They first need to understand the culture of Bengal."

"Don't fall for any provocation. They want to create trouble and get 30-40 people arrested from every area. This is happening in Malda. Innocent people are getting arrested. NIA, CBI, ED, BSF & CISF are under Mota Bhai's control. Mota Bhai calls us thieves. But where does the money from the borders go? You brand people as infiltrators for speaking in Bengali. You [BJP] are the biggest infiltrators. They come here during polls to capture votes forcefully," she added.

Warns Against NRC, Alleges Tacit BJP-Congress Understanding

Banerjee warned voters not to support any party other than AITC, alleging a tacit understanding between the BJP and Congress in the state. She said such an alliance could lead to NRC implementation and detention camps, but assured that her government would not allow any citizen to be sent to such camps.

West Bengal Assembly elections are set to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)