Shah: Didi opposed Op Sindoor for vote bank

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Union home minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Sunday, accusing it of promoting religious appeasement, infiltration and lawlessness, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will trounce the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2026 assembly polls.
Addressing an organisational meeting of the party's state unit in Kolkata, Shah said Banerjee opposed Operation Sindoor — India's military response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack— to placate her 'Muslim vote bank'.
'To appease the Muslim vote bank, Mamata didi opposed Operation Sindoor. She has insulted the mothers and sisters of this country. Pakistan-backed terrorists killed our citizens in front of their families after asking about their religion. Operation Sindoor was carried out to punish terrorists. However, Mamata didi was pained over the death of terrorists,' he said. The CM had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of using India's military action to gain political mileage.
The TMC rejected Shah's allegations and said that the party has extended full support to the armed forces and the government of India in the fight against terrorism.
Shah's remarks came days after the PM launched an all-out attack on the Bengal government during a visit to the state, accusing it of promoting riots and corruption. In his address, the home minister called the recent Murshidabad violence 'state-sponsored' and said TMC leaders fanned the unrest.
'When violence erupted in Murshidabad, the union home ministry repeatedly requested the state to deploy the BSF, but it didn't. Central forces were deployed on the orders of the high court. A TMC leader was present at the spot to encourage rioters. It was state-sponsored and an injustice to Hindus,' he said. Clashes broke out in parts of the Muslim-majority Murshidabad district in April following protests over the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, resulting in the death of three people.
Shah said that next year's state polls were not only important for the future of West Bengal but the whole country as he accused the TMC government of compromising on national security.
'Elections in West Bengal won't just determine the future of the state. They are also linked to national security. Mamata Banerjee has opened international borders for infiltrators. She is allowing infiltration in order to increase her vote bank so that later her nephew [Abhishek Banerjee] may remain in power. But this won't happen,' he added.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose also condemned Shah's remarks. 'At a time when the TMC is standing firmly with the Government of India, when our national general secretary is abroad on an MPs' delegation, speaking strongly for the country and against Pakistan-based terrorism, none other than the Home Minister comes to West Bengal and uses cheap language against our respected CM, Mamata Banerjee,' she said.
In his speech, Shah blamed the chief minister for the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in the state. 'For years, Bengal was ruled by communists. After that, Mamata Banerjee came by with the slogan 'Maa, Maati, Maanush'. She converted the great land of Bengal into a land of infiltration, crimes against women, bomb blasts and atrocities against Hindus.'
He added, 'Hundreds of BJP workers were killed in West Bengal after Mamata Banerjee became the CM... Didi, listen to me; your time is over now. The BJP will form the government in 2026...'
TMC leaders, however, said that the party would return to power with a thumping majority. 'Shah is dreaming of BJP forming government in West Bengal. The TMC will return to power with more than 250 seats, and Mamata Banerjee would again become the chief minister,' party MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said.
During his visit, Shah also inaugurated the new building of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Rajarhat on the outskirts of Kolkata, saying that it will help in taking a holistic approach towards the investigation of complex cases in eastern and northeastern states.