Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her government of failing to ensure women’s safety in the state as campaigning intensifies ahead of the Assembly elections.
Addressing a public rally at Palli Mangal Club Ground in Mayureshwar in Birbhum district, Shah criticised Banerjee’s remarks advising women not to step out after 7 PM following the RG Kar rape case, saying such statements reflected a breakdown of law and order.
“Mamata Didi says that women should not step out after 7 PM. Mamata didi had some shame, despite being a woman Chief Minister yourself, you couldn’t protect the sister of Bengal,” Shah said while addressing the gathering.
Projecting the Bharatiya Janata Party as an alternative to the ruling Trinamool Congress, Shah said the party would create a safer environment for women across the state. “You just form a BJP government once, we will make such a Bengal where even a little girl can ride out on a scooter at 1 AM. No Sandeshkhali, RG Kar, Durgapur Law College, or South Kolkata Law College-like incident will happen,” he said.
Campaign rhetoric sharpens ahead of Assembly polls
Escalating his political attack, Shah accused Banerjee of attempting to create fear among the majority community. Referring to a recent speech by the Chief Minister, he alleged that she had suggested the majority community would not survive if the Trinamool Congress was not in power.
“Just now, I was watching a speech of Mamata Didi. She was scaring the majority community here, saying that if TMC isn’t there, the majority community won’t survive. During their rule, there were riots in Murshidabad, attacks on Ram Navami, and a ban on Saraswati Puja. Where had she gone then?” he said.
Shah described the upcoming Assembly elections as a decisive moment for the state, saying voters would respond to intimidation through democratic means. “The goons of TMC will no longer be able to terrorise the people of Bengal with their bomb blasts. The people of Bengal will respond to bombs with ballots and to fear with trust,” he said, urging voters to support the BJP’s lotus symbol on the ballot.
Warning to TMC workers over poll violence
In a direct warning to Trinamool Congress workers, Shah said strict action would follow if voters were intimidated during polling.
“I am telling the goons of TMC today, stay locked in your homes on 23 April; otherwise, on 4 May, you will be handpicked and thrown behind the bars of jail,” he said. He also assured voters that they would be protected on polling day. “On 23 April, no TMC goon will be able to harm even a hair of Bengal’s voters.”
The Union Home Minister further accused the state government of obstructing efforts to strengthen border security by not providing land to the Border Security Force for fencing along the border.
“TMC is not giving land to the BSF for border fencing. After the formation of our government in West Bengal within 45 days, land will be given for fencing along the state border. We will remove illegal immigrants not only from West Bengal but from the entire nation,” he said.
Development claims and policy promises
Shah also alleged that the ruling party had ignored local concerns, including water shortages in Mayureshwar. “These TMC goons, who roam in black-tinted glasses and extort cut money, cannot see the water problem in Mayureswar,” he said.
Highlighting the central government’s initiatives, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had secured global recognition for Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Shanti Niketan by ensuring its inclusion in UNESCO’s heritage list. He also credited the Centre with granting classical language status to Bengali.
Reiterating the BJP’s policy agenda, Shah said the party would implement the Uniform Civil Code in West Bengal if voted to power. “The BJP will bring UCC in Bengal, and after the implementation of UCC, the practice of four marriages will come to an end,” he said.
West Bengal’s 294-member Assembly will go to polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
