Mamata warns Centre: 'Will be dangerous if you hurt Bengali speakers'

Mamata Banerjee alleged harassment of Bengalis in UP/Bihar and warned the Centre. She and Akhilesh Yadav accused the EC and BJP of using the SIR exercise as a covert NRC to strip voting rights, with Yadav calling her the main challenger to BJP.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that Bengali-speaking people are facing harassment and being targeted in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. She warned the central government and said, "If you hurt me, I will be very dangerous."

Mamata Banerjee Slams PM, Election Commission

Srongly objecting to the Prime Minister's recent remarks, Mamata Banerjee said, "One person (PM Modi) came and said that the government approves the Bangla language, but it's not true. Even Bengali people are getting hurt because they are speaking the Bangla language in other states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. If you hurt me, I will be very dangerous. In the name of SIR, you are making people suffer. Shame on you. Election Commission, it's not your work..."

Earlier this week, Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission, accusing it of "snatching away" people's voting rights, and yet celebrating the National Voters' Day.In a post on X, Mamata Banerjee said that she is "deeply distressed" by the EC's conduct, as she alleged that the poll conducting body is "harassing people" in the name of "logical discrepancy" in voter lists.

"Election Commission of India is celebrating National Voters' Day today, and what a tragic farce that is! The Commission -- working as His Master's Voice-- is busy now in snatching away people's voting rights, and they have the temerity to celebrate Voters' Day! I am deeply distressed and disturbed by their conduct today," she said. "Instead of complying with the Hon'ble Supreme Court's verdict and working as per rules and norms to provide and protect the democratic voting rights of people, ECI is finding newer and newer pretexts in the name of logical discrepancy to harass the people and try to deny them and take away from them their electoral rights!" she added.

Akhilesh Yadav Backs Mamata, Accuses EC-BJP

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI), along with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were conducting the National Register of Citizens (NRC) drive in the garb of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise while "harassing common people".

He further claimed that the ECI was conducting the SIR drive exclusively for West Bengal. The assembly polls in West Bengal are expected to be held in the first half of 2026. "The responsibility of EC is to see an increase in votes, but for the first time, it is being seen that the EC and BJP, in the garb of SIR, are conducting NRC and harassing common people, and their aim is to cut more votes. Whereas their responsibility is to help the voters," Yadav said in a joint press conference with Mamata Banerjee.

He lauded West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that in the entire country, if anyone was competing with the BJP, it was her. Yadav expressed confidence that the people of West Bengal would defeat the BJP and that Mamata Banerjee would become the Chief Minister again. "If anyone is competing with the BJP, it's CM Mamata Banerjee. The SIR (Special Intensive Revision) they have brought is for West Bengal only, although it was also conducted in Bihar," he said. (ANI)

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