Will win Bengal polls, then 'capture Delhi': Mamata at state election rally

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday invoked Bengali identity, raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Banerjee signalled the Trinamool Congress’s national ambitions, declaring that after securing victory in the upcoming assembly polls, her party would work towards “capturing Delhi”.

Addressing a rally in Debra in Paschim Medinipur, the Chief Minister framed the polls as more than just a state election, portraying it as a broader resistance against what she termed the BJP’s attempts to control Bengal politically, culturally and electorally.

“After winning in West Bengal, we will unite everyone across the country to capture Delhi,” the TMC supremo said, emphasising her positioning as a key national challenger to the BJP even as she battles a high-stakes election at home.

“The landlords of Delhi have taken away all powers from my hands,” she said, reinforcing the TMC’s long-standing narrative of Bengal versus the Centre.

Banerjee also sharpened her attack on the BJP by accusing it of being “anti-Bengal” and attempting to politicise the ongoing revision of electoral rolls. Seeking to channel public resentment into electoral momentum, she said, “You have made people stand in queues. You have humiliated them. The people will take revenge for this humiliation through the ballot box."

Amid an escalating political row over alleged deletions from voter lists, Banerjee claimed that lakhs of genuine voters particularly women and Bengali-speaking citizens, had been removed.

“Many names have been deleted. Check online and apply. I will ask (Debra TMC nominee) Rajib Banerjee to look into it. We will provide lawyers,” she said.

“There are still 60 lakh names under logistical discrepancies. Even if 50 per cent of those names have been restored, the credit goes to our legal battle. I myself went to the Supreme Court and fought,” she added.

She further alleged that BJP leaders had prior knowledge of the deletions, even before the Election Commission acted.

The TMC appeared to pursue a dual strategy, consolidating its traditional support among minorities and Bengali-speaking voters, while also reaching out to women, a key constituency that has consistently backed Banerjee.

“They are anti-women. Most of the deleted names are of mothers and sisters,” she said, attributing the problem partly to challenges faced by women during the revision process, particularly due to surname changes after marriage.

Banerjee also attempted to reinforce the TMC’s social coalition across communities, at a time when the BJP is seeking to expand its reach among SC, ST and OBC groups in south Bengal.

“Just as everyone fights for our tribal candidates, we must fight for Hindu candidates, and where there are Muslim candidates, we must fight for them too. Because we are the ones who will form the government,” she said.

The choice of Debra as the rally venue carried strategic weight. Located in Paschim Medinipur, the area has emerged as a key battleground, especially after the BJP made significant gains in 2021 before the TMC regained ground in the Lok Sabha elections.

Banerjee also targeted the BJP over cultural issues, particularly food habits, accusing it of attempting to impose a homogenised cultural framework.

“Why are they so obsessed with Bengal's food? They tell people not to eat fish, not to eat meat, and not to eat eggs. What do they want people to eat?” she asked.

She alleged that such cultural impositions extended beyond the state, affecting Bengalis elsewhere in the country.

“If you go outside West Bengal and speak in Bengali, you may not be allowed to stay in a hotel. You may be attacked or even beaten to death. Wherever the BJP is in power, they do not allow fish to be eaten. Fish and meat shops are shut,” she claimed.

Banerjee also accused the BJP of politicising faith. “They talk in the name of religion but mislead religion itself. They do not believe in any religion. We keep religion at home and respect it. They trade in religion, while we believe in humanity,” she said.

She also accused the saffron party of disrespecting Bengal’s historical icons. “Vidyasagar's statue was broken during Amit Shah's rally (in 2019). They don't respect icons of Bengal, and don't know our culture and heritage. Where was the BJP during the freedom struggle? Did it even exist?” Banerjee said, referring to figures such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Raja Rammohan Roy and Khudiram Bose.