Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to West Bengal on Sunday, launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of prioritising appeasement politics over national interest. Speaking to BJP leaders and supporters, Shah criticised Banerjee for opposing Operation Sindoor and the Waqf Amendment Act, claiming her actions were aimed at securing the Muslim vote bank.
Referring to the Centre’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Shah said, “To appease the Muslim vote bank, Mamata didi opposed Operation Sindoor. By doing so, she insulted the mothers and sisters of this country.” He called on women voters in Bengal to “teach Mamata a lesson” in the upcoming 2026 assembly polls.
Operation Sindoor, according to Shah, involved a deep cross-border strike in Pakistan targeting terror camps. He accused Banerjee of being “pained” by the deaths of terrorists and alleged that her criticism of the operation amounted to disregarding national security.
Shah also accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of complicity in the April Murshidabad riots, which erupted over the controversial Waqf Amendment Act. He alleged that a TMC minister had incited the violence and said the riots were “state-sponsored.” He claimed that despite the Ministry of Home Affairs’ requests to deploy the BSF during the unrest, the state government blocked their involvement, allowing the situation to escalate.
Attacking Banerjee’s handling of border security, Shah said, “The Bengal elections will decide not only the future of the state but also the country’s security.” He accused the TMC of enabling illegal cross-border infiltration and withholding land needed by the BSF to strengthen border patrols.
Shah also raised the ongoing controversy over the teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal, alleging widespread corruption and saying youth employment was being “sold in the markets of Kolkata.”
Concluding his speech, Shah predicted that Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as Chief Minister would end with the 2026 polls, asserting that only a BJP government could “secure Bengal’s borders and its future.”