'If You Attack Me, India Will Be Jolted': Mamata Issues Stern Warning to Centre Over SIR in Bengal

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing the party of attempting to manipulate voter records and destabilise the state.

While addressing an anti-SIR rally in Bongaon, the CM hit out at the BJP, saying she understood their game and if they tried to meddle with West Bengal, the state would respond in a way that would shake the entire country.

"We understand their game, and we won’t let it succeed in Bengal. If they try to touch Bengal, we will shake the entire country,” she said. 

Further, she called the Bihar leaders “Bechara”, saying the Opposition there failed to see through the BJP’s strategy

“Bihar opposition leaders were bechara; they couldn’t understand BJP’s game," she added.

She slammed the BJP over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the SIR verification drive, accusing the ruling party of misleading people for political and financial gains. Banerjee alleged that the BJP is “selling CAA cards” and exploiting vulnerable communities.

“BJP is technically selling you cards in the name of CAA and collecting money. They are making you sign undertakings as Bangladeshi Hindus, which will put you in even bigger trouble. Thirty-five people have already died because of SIR. They are even using artificial intelligence to create duplicate voters. This is BJP’s new plan,” she claimed.

Targeting the Centre over the alleged manipulation of voter lists, she added that the 2024 Lok Sabha results were based on the same electoral rolls.

“PM Modi got voted in 2024 according to this voter list. If they delete your names, the Central government will also get deleted. Why is the SIR happening in such a rush? As long as I am here, I will not allow them to throw you out of the list,” Banerjee asserted.

She further questioned the logic behind conducting SIR even in states that have no connection to Bangladesh.

“If Bangladesh is the issue, why are you doing SIR in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh? I am not scared of the BJP,” she said, challenging the Centre’s intentions.

She also questioned how the state could be responsible for Bangladeshi infiltrators, stating, "Trains, planes, and borders are controlled by central agencies. Passports, customs, and excise are all handled by the Central Government. So how did we infiltrate Bangladeshis into West Bengal?"