West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee once again issued a stern warning to the people of the state regarding alleged manipulation of the voter list. Speaking at a public meeting in Jhargram on Thursday, the TMC supremo cautioned citizens not to fill out any forms without fully understanding their purpose, fearing it could lead to the removal of names from the electoral roll in the name Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
“If someone asks you to fill up a form, do not do it without knowing. Your name may be removed from the voter list,” she said, expressing suspicion that such moves could be linked to the implementation of the NRC (National Register of Citizens). However, she assured the crowd, “The state government will not accept NRC.”
Targeting both the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI), Mamata claimed that the Centre has a hidden plan to manipulate electoral rolls. “Even if you have an EPIC card, it won’t help. There’s a conspiracy to bring in new names. Now it’s hard to verify whether your name is even on the list,” she alleged, urging people to double-check their voter registration.
Taking a dig at the BJP government, Mamata questioned the lawmakers’ credibility. “Do those making these laws like CAA even have proper documents themselves? They were born with golden spoons. How will they understand the struggles of the common people?” she asked. The Chief Minister also addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the status of the Bengali language. Reacting to a recent remark by BJP leader Amit Malviya — who allegedly claimed that “Bengali is not a language” — Mamata launched a scathing attack.
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“I have a photo on my phone — a 10-rupee note from 1912 with Bengali written on it. And these fools come in 2025 and say Bengali is not a language!” she exclaimed, adding, “If Bengali isn’t a language, then in what language was the national anthem written? What language did Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Rammohan Roy and Swami Vivekananda speak?”
TMC has repeatedly accused the BJP of insulting the Bengali language and discriminating against Bengali-speaking citizens. Mamata Banerjee also raised concerns over the treatment of Bengali-speaking individuals in other Indian states. “Around 2,000 people from Bengal are being harassed outside the state. Whenever they speak in Bengali, they’re called Rohingyas,” she alleged, adding, “This is happening now and when elections come, they’ll say, ‘Take money and vote for them.’ But I say — give them everything but not your address, language, or identity. Once those are gone, everything is gone.”
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, visiting flood-affected areas in Ghatal in East Midnapore, launched a blistering counterattack against Mamata and her party. Accusing the TMC of shielding illegal immigrants, Adhikari said, “Their goal is to save Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.”
He also criticised the state government over alleged mismanagement in flood relief efforts and questioned the credibility of the state’s voter list, alleging the presence of fake voters. Calling for political change, Adhikari urged the public to “abandon TMC in the 2026 Assembly elections.” As West Bengal heads toward another high-stakes election season, the battle lines are becoming clearer. While Mamata continues to focus on identity, language and voter rights, the BJP is sharpening its campaign around illegal immigration, corruption and governance failures.
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