West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission, the Centre and the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), raising concerns over the potential exclusion of Bengali-speaking voters from the electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the alleged persecution of Bengali-speaking people in other states and the repeated flooding of Bengal districts due to unregulated water release from DVC dams.
Speaking during an administrative meeting at Gitanjali Theatre in Bolpur, Birbhum, the chief minister sent out a strong political message. Addressing Booth Level Officers (BLOs), she said, “No one’s name should be left out from the voter list. You are working under the state government. Don’t harass any person unnecessarily.”
Banerjee expressed anger over the EC’s decision to take nearly 1,000 people from Bengal to Delhi for election training without informing the state administration. "The District Magistrates should have informed me or, at least, the Chief Secretary,” she said.
She warned against the arbitrary deletion of voter names. “If someone goes on a four-day trip, will you strike off their name? Ensure they have a real existence, that's your job,” she cautioned BLOs.
Also read: Mamata to lead march in Birbhum against targeting of Bengalis
Linking the issue of voter list revision to broader identity politics, Banerjee alleged that Bengali-speaking people are being targeted in other states. “In Assam, letters are being sent to Bengali residents declaring them illegal in Foreigners’ Tribunals. How dare they? We must stand by our people,” she added.
Later, at a language movement event in Bolpur, the chief minister reiterated her stand saying, “If anyone’s name is omitted in Bengal, conch will blow and the Dhamsa-Madal (tribal musical instrument) will thunder. I shall never allow NRC in Bengal as long as I am alive. Even if I have to give up my life, I will protect the language and identity of Bengal.”
She accused the Election Commission of “playing the NRC game” on behalf of the Centre, alleging that efforts were being made to “snatch away people’s addresses”.
Referring to the mistreatment of Bengali workers in Gujarat, Banerjee appealed to them to return to Bengal, “If they don’t want you there, come back. We’ll share whatever we have— even if it’s just one loaf of bread.”
She also said Bengal is home to over 1.5 crore Hindi-speaking migrant workers. “We’ve never asked them to leave. Bengal shelters everyone. We don’t divide people. But if someone tries to take away the Bengalis’ address, we’ll make them leave.”
In the same meeting, Banerjee shifted focus to flood concerns and came down heavily on the Damodar Valley Corporation for its “reckless” release of dam water, which she said floods multiple Bengal districts every year.
“The way they are releasing water to protect Jharkhand while drowning Bengal’s districts. This can’t go on. Thousands of crores are being lost,” she said. Issuing an ultimatum, Banerjee added, “They have one year. If they don’t conduct dredging, we’ll build another dam in front of DVC’s dam to trap the water.”
She instructed the Chief Secretary to begin preparing a detailed plan for the same. "Prepare the groundwork now. I will look into it later,” she ordered.
Highlighting the decades-long negligence, Banerjee pointed out that DVC’s water-holding capacity has diminished due to no dredging in the last 20 years. “They only talk big before elections. But nothing has been done yet.”
Follow us
