Mamata accuses BJP of attacking her home, blames AIMIM for Malda hostage situation

Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of fomenting violence in the state and claimed that her residence was attacked the previous day, although she did not provide any details of the incident.

In Short

• Mamata Banerjee blamed BJP for attack on her Kolkata residence
• Seven SIR officers held for nine hours in Malda protests
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah's long Bengal visit seen as intimidation

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting her residence in Kolkata’s Kalighat, alleging that the attack came a day after protests in Malda district in which seven Special Intensive Revision (SIR) officers were gheraoed for over nine hours.

While addressing an election rally in Bengal, Banerjee accused the BJP of fomenting violence, and alleged that “yesterday they have also attacked my residence,” though she did not provide any details of the alleged incident, and no police officials have confirmed it so far.

The development comes two weeks after the Trinamool Congress chief had challenged the BJP at a Kolkata rally to target her residence and those of other party leaders.

“I challenge BJP to attack my and other TMC leaders' houses; we know how to resist,” news agency PTI quoted Banerjee as saying during the rally.

MAMATA ON MALDA INCIDENT

Furthermore, Banerjee blamed the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Indian Secular Front (ISF) for the gherao of judicial officers in Malda district and accused the Congress and the BJP of instigation.

She noted that the mastermind behind the incident, advocate Mofakkarul Islam, was arrested by the state CID at Bagdogra airport while attempting to flee.

“The BJP loaned him from AIMIM and brought him to Bengal. ISF is with them; Congress and BJP have also provided instigation. It is they who engineered the violence in Malda’s Mothabari,” Banerjee alleged.

The West Bengal CM questioned why the assembly polls cannot be conducted with the same electoral rolls, which were used in the 2024 general elections.

She added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had benefited from such discrepancies in previous elections and suggested that he should resign.

"If the voter list contained names of infiltrators, Modi also won with their votes earlier, so he should resign first," she said.

She also expressed scepticism over the deployment of officers during elections, alleging that “officers were transferred to facilitate free movement of outsiders into West Bengal” and that cash was being transported in CRPF vehicles.

"I have a record of these movements and will expose them at the appropriate time," she added.

Banerjee also addressed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s extended electoral presence in the state and said that “he is trying to scare people by saying that I will stay for 15 days in Bengal.”

“You say for one month, but remember the more you stay in Bengal, the more your votes will be decreased,” she added while urging the voters to take revenge at the ballot box rather than resorting to violence.

The Chief Minister also addressed the growing anger over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state, saying that outsiders are being brought in to create trouble and that even judges are not spared.

“I condemn this incident. I understand that those whose votes have been removed are upset, and I agree with them. I also want your names to be included in the SIR list. The BJP has no real work and is busy filing charge sheets against the Trinamool,” Banerjee said.

- Ends