Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying her “time is up” and asserting that the BJP is set to form the next government in the state ahead of the Assembly polls.
While addressing his last public rally of the day in Chandipur, West Medinipur, Shah said, “This is the last rally of the first phase of the election. I want to tell Didi from Chandipur, ‘Tata, bye-bye. Your time is up! You’ve troubled the people of Bengal a lot. It’s time for you to leave and for the BJP to make an entry,'” Shah said.
He further claimed that the BJP was poised for victory after the counting process. “Today, I am going to tell the infiltrators that the counting is on the 4th, and on the 5th, the BJP government will be formed… Get ready to go to Bangladesh quickly,” he said.Shah also promised development initiatives for the region, announcing a dedicated research facility. “Right here in Chandipur and the surrounding areas, paan cultivation takes place, so a major paan research centre will be established by the Government of India in Chandipur,” he said.
At the same time, he issued a strong warning to political opponents. “I am also telling Mamata’s goons that they should not step out of their homes on the 23rd… On the 5th, the BJP government is coming. We will track them down even from the netherworld and send them behind bars,” he said.He also reiterated the BJP’s position on national security and infiltration, stating, “The BJP has freed the country from Naxalism, and today I am stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party alone will work to free the entire country from infiltrators. From the Bay of Bengal to the Indian Ocean, we will leave no place for infiltrators.”
Referring to past military and security actions, Shah said, “Congress, Communist and Mamata were against scrapping Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. However, in 2019, PM Modi abolished Article 370. When Congress was in power with the support of Mamata ji, they used to serve biryani to terrorists. The terrorists attacked in Uri, and surgical strikes were conducted. They attacked in Pulwama, and air strikes were conducted. They attacked in Pahalgam, the Modi govt killed terrorists in their own home through Operation Sindoor.”
Polling for the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting of votes on May 4.