In a major pre-election promise, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari has declared that if his party is voted to power in West Bengal, it will double the rural job guarantee from 100 to 200 days and increase housing assistance to Rs 3 lakh. The announcement came during a high-voltage rally in Malda, where Adhikari set a four-month deadline for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) to move to the opposition benches.
Poll Promises and Attack on TMC
Addressing a 'Parivartan Sankalp Sabha' in Chanchal, Malda district, on Friday, the Leader of the Opposition launched a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led government. He alleged widespread corruption in central welfare schemes. Adhikari claimed that funds meant for the 100-day work scheme (MGNREGA), toilet construction, and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana had been "looted" and even reached "Bangladeshi infiltrators."
Countering these allegations, he laid out the BJP's vision for the state. "If the BJP takes office in the state, the number of working days under the central government's 100-day work scheme would be doubled to 200 days," Adhikari stated. He further assured that the allocation for building houses under the Awas Yojana would be increased to Rs 3 lakh, promising a "real change in the lives of the poor."
Confident Prediction of TMC's Defeat
Exuding confidence ahead of the Assembly elections due in the first half of this year, Adhikari made a bold prediction. "Trinamool Congress will become an opposition party in West Bengal in April," he declared, adding the slogan, "Bihar ki jeet hamari hai, ab bangal ki bari hai" (the victory in Bihar is ours, now it is Bengal's turn).
He attributed the TMC's past electoral success to malpractices. Adhikari claimed that in the 2024 elections, the TMC had rigged votes, looted booths, and used the votes of Bangladeshi infiltrators to create a winning margin of 4 million (40 lakh) votes. However, he said the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists was changing the game. "In the first jolt of the SIR, 5.8 million (58 lakh) names have been removed. More names of Rohingya and infiltrators will be removed," he asserted, predicting the TMC's rejection of the revised list.
Polarising Rhetoric and Security Concerns
The BJP leader's speech also touched on communal and security issues, designating West Bengal as "the homeland for Bengali Hindus." He referenced the attack on BJP MP Khagen Murmu in Jalpaiguri in October last year, vowing that such "spilling of blood" would not be allowed to continue.
Adhikari also spoke about the anti-Waqf Amendment Act violence in Murshidabad in early 2025, stating that the "need of the hour" was to "unite the Hindus statewide." He drew parallels between killings in Murshidabad and an incident in Bangladesh, criticising the TMC's handling of law and order.
The rally itself was held under the shadow of controversy, with Adhikari mentioning that despite a Calcutta High Court order permitting the meeting, the TMC had tried to block it. "I have held 104 meetings with the court's permission, and we will continue to fight," he said.
Directly challenging TMC's Malda district president Abdur Rahim Bakshi, who had threatened to block his entry, Adhikari recalled, "When I was a TMC observer, Rahim Bakshi used to open my car door. Now, I'll ensure he's defeated." He expressed confidence that the BJP was leading in six seats in the district and hoped to gain two more, framing the contest as a direct fight between the BJP and the Left-Congress alliance in the area.
With his deep roots in the region—having overseen TMC operations in Malda and Murshidabad for over three years before switching sides—Adhikari's rally sets the stage for a fierce electoral battle in north Bengal. The BJP is clearly banking on a combination of welfare promises, polarising narratives, and a strong anti-incumbency wave to unseat the TMC in the upcoming polls.
