WB polls 2026: Mamata abetting infiltration for poll benefits, alleges Shah; CM hits backs

Kolkata, Dec 30 (PTI) Setting the tone for the high-stakes West Bengal assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a broadside against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her government of "dangerously altering" the state's demography by abetting the infiltration of Bangladeshis for electoral gains and indulging in widespread corruption.

Shah's remarks evoked a sharp response from Banerjee, who cited the Pahalgam attack and terror blast in the national capital to question the Centre's handling of national security.  "Does infiltration happen only in Bengal? Does it not happen in Kashmir? An incident took place in Delhi some days ago. Are infiltrators present nowhere except Bengal? So, was it you who did it?" she said, and demanded Shah's resignation as the country's Home Minister.

With the polls for the 294-member state assembly less than six months away, battlelines have been drawn between Banejee-led Trinamool and the BJP, the main opposition party in the state, with Shah declaring that the issue of "driving infiltrators out" would be one of the key poll issues for his party in the upcoming electoral contest.

Addressing a press conference here, Shah said the BJP will restore the state's lost glory, and "after April 15, 2026, when a BJP government is formed in Bengal, the party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin the revival of the state's pride, culture, and renaissance." Shah, considered the principal poll strategist of the BJP, arrived here last night on a three-day visit to assess the party's organisational preparedness for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections in 2026.

The coming months ahead of the assembly polls are "crucial" for the state, he said, and added that West Bengal has witnessed "fear, corruption, and misgovernance" under 15 years of the Trinamool Congress.

Asserting that infiltration has created a sense of insecurity and anxiety among the people in the state, the Union Home Minister said the issue of "driving infiltrators out of the country" would be his party's key poll issue.

Announcing that a "strong and robust national grid" would be set up to end infiltration in Bengal, Shah said, "Insaan chhod dijiye, parinda bhi par nahin maar paye, is prakar ki mazboot grid ki rachana hum karenge (forget humans, even birds won't be able to breach the grid we intend to build)." "Na keval ghoospet rokenge, saare ghoospetiyon ko chun chun ke Bharat ke bahar nikalne ka kaam bhi BJP ki Bangal sarkar karegi (The BJP-led government in Bengal will not only stop the infiltrators, but it will also identify each of them and drive them out of the country)," he added.

He also accused the West Bengal government of not providing the required land to complete the fencing of the India-Bangladesh border.

"Mamata Banerjee blames the BSF for not stopping infiltration. I am asking her from this public platform, which is the only state government bordering Bangladesh that doesn't provide land to erect border fences. It is your government that doesn't provide land, and that is why the task of border fencing doesn't get completed," he said.

Shah said stopping infiltration at the Bengal border is now a "national security issue" and questioned Banerjee on why the problem is more acute in Bengal than in BJP-ruled Assam, Tripura, or in the country's western states like Rajasthan and Gujarat, besides Punjab and Kashmir.

He alleged that Bengal has turned into a "safe haven for infiltrators" since the "Mamata Banerjee police don't arrest or lodge cases against them" after they make it to the rural backyards after crossing borders in geographically difficult terrains.

"Why does it happen only in Bengal? That's because infiltration happens here under your direct monitoring and patronage, resulting in slow but steady change of the state's demography to strengthen your vote bank," he said.

Shah said that people of the state were "aware and have started uniting against" infiltration, and exuded confidence that the BJP will form a government in West Bengal with a "two-thirds majority".   Meanwhile, addressing a public meeting at Barjora in Bankura district, Banerjee, without naming anyone, said: "Today, Duhshasan has come to Bengal. Whenever elections are around, Duryodhan and Dushasan arrive here." Banerjee said, "Why is this state being blamed all the time for infiltration when a terror attack happened in Jammu and Kashmir, and a blast took place in New Delhi?"  Dushasan, the younger brother of Duryodhana, is a key figure in the Mahabharata and infamous for his attempt to disrobe Draupadi, though his name literally means difficult to govern, not inherently bad governance.   The Chief Minister, who provided a point-by-point rebuttal, also claimed that land was provided at Petrapole and Changrabandha.

Highlighting BJP's "electoral growth in Bengal," Shah said its Lok Sabha seats rose from 2 in 2014 to 18 in 2019, and Assembly seats from three to 77 in five years in 2021, while the Congress and Left dipped to zero.

He also noted that the BJP won 12 seats and 39 per cent vote share in 2024, predicting a majority government in 2026.

"The people of Bengal have firmly resolved to replace the environment of fear, corruption, misgovernance, and infiltration by reestablishment of its heritage, development, and uplifting of the poor, which can only be brought about by a strong and focused BJP government," he declared.

He stated that a BJP government in Bengal would revive its cultural heritage, accelerate development, and prioritize poverty alleviation.

Hitting back, the TMC chief asserted that the BJP would be politically rejected, declaring, "You are saying you will win with a two-thirds majority. This time you are not saying, 'Ab ki baar, 200 paar.' I want to say, this time you should be out of the country."  Banerjee also claimed that the SIR was a huge "scam" being conducted with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), but asserted that her party would return to power in West Bengal and take on the BJP at the national level through democratic means.

Shah reassured members of the Matua community, saying they have no reason to fear disenfranchisement in the wake of the ongoing SIR exercise. "We pledge that all religiously persecuted refugees will be accommodated in the country. Even Mamata Banerjee cannot cause harm to the Matuas," he said.

Coming down heavily on the TMC government on corruption and women's safety, Shah alleged that the TMC has surpassed the Left in establishing the politics of fear and violence.

"There is no safety for women in Bengal. The incidents at RG Kar Medical College, Sandeshkhali, and at the South Calcutta Law College stand testimony to how unsafe this state has become for women," he said.

Shah also took a dig at the chief minister for her alleged comment asking women not to venture out at night.

"Are we living in the Mughal era? Mamataji, this is independent India; here mothers and sisters can go out for work at any time of the day or night, and it is our Constitutional mandate to provide them adequate protection," the home minister said.

Shah said top TMC leaders have been to jails on charges of swindling public money, with machines to count cash recovered from their homes malfunctioning because of overheating.

"Bengal's development has come to a complete halt under this corrupt regime. TMC is now synonymous with corruption," he alleged.

Accusing the TMC of backing a "syndicate raj" to perpetuate corruption, Shah claimed that West Bengal's economy has witnessed an unprecedented slide, with more than 7000 industries fleeing from the state.

"There was a time before the Communists came to power when the state's per capita income was 27 percent higher than the national average. Now, it has dwindled to 27 per cent below the national figure. Industries are exiting on account of the fledgling corruption, infiltration, and "toll-bazi" (extortion racket) here. Mamata Banerjee is answerable for this," he said.

"The state has sunk to its lowest during the Trinamool's rule; there is no place left for it to slide further," he added.

It was believed that the politics of violence and revenge would end once the Communists were defeated, but the TMC has surpassed even the Left in matters of failure to maintain peace, Shah said.

"So far, more than 300 BJP workers have been killed. Over 3,000 BJP workers have still not been able to return to their homes. They are being pressured that they will be allowed there only if they carry the TMC flag," he alleged.

Shah appealed to the voters, who have "given Congress, Left, TMC opportunities to govern", to provide the BJP a chance. PTI AMR SMY SOM PYK