In a sharp retort to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday launched a scathing attack, labeling him as the "first honest Modi minister who repeatedly admits his own incompetence in public." The party's national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, led the counter-offensive, challenging the BJP's narrative on border security and infiltration in West Bengal.
Questioning BJP's Tenure and Accountability
Addressing reporters, Abhishek Banerjee directly targeted Amit Shah's recent statements. He pointed out the BJP's long tenure at the Centre to question their own record. "If there were infiltrators in India, your party was in office for 11 years and you were the home minister for 6 years. Then you should be the first one to resign," Banerjee asserted, demanding accountability for what he termed as a failure during the BJP's own administration.
Banerjee urged the Home Minister to pay attention to the statements made by BJP's own parliamentarians from Bengal. He referenced comments made by Rajya Sabha MP Ananta Maharaj and Lok Sabha MP Jagannath Sarkar from about two months ago. "Jagannath Sarkar said that if the BJP comes to office in Bengal, there would be no concept of borders in the state," Banerjee recalled, contrasting it with Amit Shah's current emphasis on securing borders and blaming Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
He questioned the disciplinary action taken by the BJP against its own leaders for such remarks. "Has BJP served Sarkar a show-cause notice, suspended him from the party, or taken any action against him? As far as I know, no action was taken against either of them," the TMC leader stated.
Criticism Over SIR and Alleged Harassment
Shifting focus to the ground situation, Banerjee highlighted alleged hardships faced by citizens under the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) and other processes, which he linked to the search for infiltrators. He cited recent deaths in places like Ramnagar and Ranibandh. "From migrant workers to elderly people, everyone is being harassed. Every day we hear news of deaths. How many BJP netas went to sit beside these families?" he asked emotionally.
He challenged the Election Commission to provide transparency on the issue of deleted names from voter lists. "If names were deleted, why can't the Election Commission publish the list and prove how many of them were Rohingya or Bangladeshis?" Banerjee demanded, noting that Amit Shah's recent speech did not specifically mention Rohingyas or Bangladeshis.
Allegations of BJP Abandoning Its Own Workers
In a personal anecdote, Banerjee narrated the story of two individuals from South Dinajpur – Asit Sarkar and Gautam Barma – who he claimed were BJP booth presidents. He said they worked in Mumbai for two decades but were jailed by Maharashtra Police. "Their only fault was that they spoke in Bengali," Banerjee alleged. He claimed that when one of them called his wife to seek help from their Lok Sabha MP, Sukanta Majumdar, no assistance was forthcoming.
On the sensitive Matua community issue, Banerjee accused the BJP of harassment through false promises of citizenship. "BJP representatives and netas openly said that if Matuas are removed, then so be it," he claimed. He also took a swipe at the BJP's anti-corruption stance, alleging hypocrisy by referencing "someone who was caught on camera taking money."
The TMC's forceful rebuttal sets the stage for an intensified political battle in West Bengal, with the party positioning itself as a defender of Bengali identity against what it frames as the BJP's divisive and inconsistent politics.
