Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday launched a sharp political attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of opposing key national initiatives to cater to vote bank politics. Addressing BJP leaders and workers in Kolkata, Shah claimed that Banerjee’s stance against Operation Sindoor and the Waqf Amendment Act was a deliberate attempt to appease the Muslim community.
“Mamata Didi opposed Operation Sindoor just to protect her vote bank,” Shah said. “In doing so, she has dishonored the mothers and sisters of this nation. In the 2026 state elections, women across Bengal will give a befitting reply to her and the Trinamool Congress.”
Operation Sindoor was the Centre’s military response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Mamata Banerjee had earlier criticized the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the operation was being used for political mileage.
Shah also addressed the violent clashes that erupted in Murshidabad in April during protests over the Waqf law, calling them “state-sponsored riots.”
“The Ministry of Home Affairs repeatedly requested permission to deploy the BSF during the unrest, but the TMC government refused. Their inaction allowed the violence to escalate,” Shah alleged.
The communal violence in Murshidabad left at least three people dead and several others injured.
Turning his focus to the Waqf Amendment Act, Shah accused Banerjee of opposing reforms purely for political gains. “Her resistance to the Waqf Amendment Act is not about law—it’s about appeasement,” he claimed.
Shah further alleged that the TMC government has allowed unchecked illegal infiltration from Bangladesh.
“Mamata Banerjee has turned Bengal’s borders into open gates for infiltrators. She will never stop it—only the BJP can. The state government hasn’t even provided land to the BSF to strengthen border security,” he said.
“The TMC won’t give land because it benefits from the continued infiltration. This is a calculated move to maintain power, even if it endangers national security,” Shah added.
The Home Minister’s remarks come as part of the BJP’s broader strategy to position itself as the protector of national interests and law and order in West Bengal, ahead of the crucial 2026 Assembly elections.
