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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee connected Saturday (March 21, 2026) accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to "snatch distant the voting rights" of radical done the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls up of the assembly polls.
Addressing thousands of worshippers aft Eid prayers astatine Kolkata’s Red Road, the TMC supremo alleged that the SIR exercise, which the ruling enactment claimed had led to large-scale deletions of elector names, was portion of a "broader attempt" to power the electoral process successful the State.
"We volition not let (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji to instrumentality distant your voting rights. We volition combat till the extremity to support ideology and the rights of each citizen," Ms. Banerjee said.
Her remarks travel amid an intensifying governmental enactment implicit the electoral rotation revision exercise, which the TMC has repeatedly described arsenic an effort to region names of genuine voters, peculiarly from minority-dominated areas, up of the polls.
Ms. Banerjee warned that immoderate determination to disenfranchise voters successful the sanction of revision oregon verification of electoral rolls would beryllium resisted by her party.
“Those who are targeting Bengal and trying to disagreement radical should spell to hell,” she said, drafting large cheers from the gathering.
The Chief Minister besides invoked Bengal’s agelong contented of communal harmony, saying that the authorities would not let forces trying to polarise nine to succeed.
“Bengal believes successful unity. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians — everyone lives unneurotic here. We volition not let anyone to interruption this societal fabric,” she said.
The yearly Eid congregation connected Red Road — 1 of the largest successful eastbound India — has often doubled arsenic a governmental level during predetermination years, offering parties an accidental to scope retired to the state’s Muslim electorate, which constitutes astir 30 per cent of the population.
This year’s lawsuit carries added governmental value arsenic the authorities heads towards a high-stakes assembly election, with the TMC seeking a 4th consecutive word and the BJP attempting to consolidate the gains it made successful the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 assembly elections.
TMC nationalist wide caput Abhishek Banerjee, who besides addressed the gathering, echoed the main minister’s onslaught connected alleged attempts to polarise nine and asserted that Bengal’s contented of communal harmony would beryllium protected.
“The communal harmony of Bengal volition beryllium protected. Efforts to disagreement communities volition not output immoderate results,” helium said.
Striking a defiant note, the Diamond Harbour MP declared that the TMC would defy immoderate effort to undermine the antiauthoritarian rights of people.
“Gardan katega par jhukega nahi (you tin chop disconnected my head, but I volition not bow),” Mr. Abhishek Banerjee said.
Political observers said the TMC’s messaging astatine the Eid congregation reflects a broader effort to nexus the electoral rotation scrutiny workout with its run communicative that the "BJP and the Centre are trying to power the upcoming polls".
The ruling enactment has been projecting the contented arsenic a imaginable menace to the voting rights of ample sections of people, portion the BJP has dismissed the allegation, asserting that the revision of electoral rolls is simply a regular workout conducted by the Election Commission to region duplicate and ineligible voters.
Against the backdrop of increasing governmental friction implicit the elector database scrutiny,Ms. Banerjee’s remarks awesome the TMC’s effort to framework the upcoming elections arsenic a conflict to safeguard antiauthoritarian rights and Bengal’s plural societal fabric.
The elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly volition beryllium held successful 2 phases — connected April 23 and 29. Votes volition beryllium counted connected May 4.
