‘If voters' names are removed like in Bihar, we'll take fight to Delhi, gherao ECI office': Mamata Banerjee at July 21 rally
She was addressing a rally at Kolkata's Esplanade East to mark Shaheed Diwas.
Banerjee threatened to take the agitation to Delhi if, like in Bihar, voters' names are removed from electoral rolls in Bengal.
'I respect the EC Chair. But in Bihar, over 40 lakh names have been removed from the voters' list. They (Election Commission of India) are planning a similar move in Bengal. I'm saying it clearly — we will not allow that. We will take the fight to Delhi. If needed, we will gherao the Commission's office,' Banerjee said.
Referring to what she called a conspiracy against Bengali, the Bengal Chief Minister said, 'Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe (there is a reign of terror on the Bengali language). Over 1,000 people have been detained and jailed in BJP-ruled states including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh… Whoever speaks Bengali is being detained in BJP-ruled states.'
She also showed purported detention camp notifications to the crowd at the rally.
'Remember, Bengal took part in the freedom struggle. If people are jailed for speaking in Bengali, we will protest. I don't abandon a fight midway. Remember Nandigram, remember Singur. BJP must be removed from power at the Centre,' she said.
Banerjee also targeted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. 'You can't control Assam but you're poking your nose into Bengal. If you continue this, I would ask Susmita Dev (TMC Rajya Sabha MP) to start a movement in Assam. We will all go there,' she said.
Announcing the party's protest schedule, Banerjee said, 'From July 27, we will hit the streets. Every Saturday and Sunday, we will protest in Bengal. I urge our MPs to demonstrate at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Delhi. Intellectuals and sports personalities will also take part.'
'We have over 22 lakh Bengali migrants outside Bengal. And around 1.5 crore migrants work in Bengal. We love Hindi, we love Gujarati. But why are you (BJP) conspiring against the Bengali language?' she asked.
Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal.
Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting.
Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Tipra Motha activists attack BJP workers while latter were listening to PM Modi's ‘Mann ki Baat' program; 9 injured
A group of Tipra Motha workers attacked supporters of ally BJP at Asharambari in Khowai district of Tripura on Sunday, injuring nine saffron party workers and damaging scores of vehicles. Asked about the incident, an officer at the state police headquarters in Agartala said, 'As per our latest reports, nine people were injured. A case will be lodged at the local police station and legal action will be taken.' Reacting to the attack, BJP tribal leader Bipin Debbarma said, 'Our supporters and leaders were listening to PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' program, when they were attacked by hooligans from the Tipra Motha party who were armed with machetes, axes, and country-made guns. They intended to murder BJP supporters. At least 10 to 15 motorcycles were damaged in the incident, and two cars sustained heavy damage.' The tribal leader said a detailed report of the incident has been sent to Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and state BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharya, and they have assured to bring the culprits to book and provide necessary treatment to the injured. Sunit Sarkar, Media In-Charge, BJP Tripura unit, told media persons that Tipra Motha minister Animesh Debbarma was looking into the matter. Animesh Debbarma is the local Asharambari MLA. Meanwhile, Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma went 'Live' on Facebook and criticised his own party workers for the attack. 'I don't want political violence in Tripura. If tribals keep fighting each other in the name of flags, one day flags will be all that's left, land will be lost. You can do politics two months before the elections. Till then, keep thansa (unity) as tribals… Politics of violence will not give us anything,' Pradyot Kishore said. Pradyot Kishore then said that Naga people are united across party lines, but tribals in Tripura are not united. He also alleged that former CPM leaders are joining the BJP and the Tipra Motha and are trying to foment a crisis, and urged both parties to stay wary of such political elements. Speaking to he later said, 'I don't want our party's name to be dragged into such conflicts. If anything, Tipra Motha and the BJP should come together and fight against illegal immigration from Bangladesh and Myanmar.'
The Hindu
13 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Decoding the Jan Suraaj Party hype
Last year, Prashant Kishor transitioned from his consultant role into the dynamic arena of electoral politics. With Bihar going to the polls in October, it will be intriguing to observe how a strategist, believed to have masterminded some important political successes, will perform when he contests an election himself. Mr. Kishor, leader of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), points out four factors which makes the BJP a formidable electoral force: its Hindutva ideology that serves as an emotional anchor, Narendra Modi's grand narrative of India becoming a global superpower, the creation of millions of direct beneficiaries through welfare schemes, and the sheer financial and organisational strength of the party. Mr. Kishor has asserted that to defeat BJP, one would need to defeat it at least on three of the four accounts. So, how well placed is the JSP to challenge the BJP on these factors? First, ideologically, the BJP's Hindutva claim isn't just a political position; it has become an emotional ecosystem that gives people identity, purpose, and a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves. The JSP's approach has been to focus on Bihar's regional identity and development aspirations while staying studiously secular. It is intellectually honest, sure, but could it be politically naïve given that religious identity in contemporary politics has become increasingly central to how people see themselves politically? Second, Mr. Kishor's 'Bihar Badlav (Bihar Change)' campaign is receiving traction. The messaging is positive: Bihar doesn't need to wait for Delhi's permission to prosper; the State has its own strengths and possibilities. What it needs is leadership that believes in those possibilities. This seems to be resonating with some voters. This narrative is distinct from the BJP's nationalism and the traditional Opposition's criticism. Whether it is enough remains to be seen. Third, pricking a hole in the BJP's beneficiary schemes may be tedious. When a farmer gets his PM Kisan installments, or when a woman gets her Ujjwala gas connection, or when a family gets healthcare through Ayushman Bharat, they are not just receiving benefits; they are entering into a relationship with the government that makes them stakeholders in its success. Can the JSP's promise be enough to attract the voters to vote for it? Fourth, the ability of the JSP to match the BJP's and RJD's organisational structure needs to be looked at. The JSP has been able to create some ground level connects via its leaders' padyatra, but this will be put to test particularly closer to elections. The BJP-led NDA has financial resources, RSS volunteers, sophisticated data analytics, and technological infrastructure that can micro-target individual voters. The RJD has decades of organisational depth and established networks across every village in Bihar and JSP has Mr. Kishor's strategic mind. Will that be enough to challenge the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan? Another important challenge for the JSP is about how the party will be able to challenge dynastic heirs such as Tejashwi Yadav and Chirag Paswan. What makes Mr. Yadav particularly formidable is his younger age, party's organisational strength, and experience. His welfare promises are specific and credible because he has the organisational capacity to deliver them. His focus on employment and migration directly addresses voters' primary concerns. And his consistent opposition to Nitish Kumar's alliance-hopping has given him a reputation for stability that the JSP, as a new entrant, cannot claim. The BJP may find it difficult to put up a young face given its present leadership in Bihar, but JD(U) might prop up a young face such as Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar or Manish Verma, a former IAS officer. At this moment, the picture seems encouraging as the JSP is generating discussion and media attention, but also sobering, since Mr. Kishor may turn out to be an influential voice rather than a decisive force. In a fragmented electoral landscape, the JSP might eventually end up being a kingmaker if neither major alliance achieves a clear majority. This could provide it with disproportionate influence relative to its electoral performance and create opportunities for future growth. Sanjay Kumar is a Professor at the Centre for Studies of Developing Societies and Chandrachur Singh is a Professor of Political Science at Hindu College, University of Delhi. Views expressed are personal
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
Parliament to Debate Operation Sindoor; BJP, Congress Trade Barbs Ahead of Clash
As Parliament prepares to discuss Operation Sindoor, political tempers are rising. While the BJP asserts that the government has shown transparency by accepting the opposition's demand for a debate, Congress leaders continue to press for clarity on the operation's outcome and the government's foreign policy handling. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the BJP-led government has nothing to hide and welcomed the discussion. In contrast, Congress MPs like Rajesh Thakur and Imran Masood have raised serious questions — from whether the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were neutralized to why there has been no response to US President Biden's claims. The debate promises to be a heated face-off between BJP's narrative of national strength and Congress's charge of secrecy and failure. #operationsindoor #sukantamajumdar #parliamentdebate #nationalsecurity #modigovernment #pahalgamattack #terrorism #monsoonsession #indiaupdates #politicsnews Read More
