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BJP govt at Centre may collapse before 2029, says Mamata Banerjee
The Bharatiya Janata Party reacted to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement, saying that she won’t remain in power after the 2026 state polls
Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday called for opposition unity while claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not return to power after the 2029 Lok Sabha polls and that the government at the centre may even collapse before that.
“There is no neutrality in the country. It is totally one sided. Those who are in power today, will not remain tomorrow. They shall by no chance return to power in 2029. They may fall even before,” Banerjee told media persons on the occasion of Constitution Day.
She garlanded the statue of BR Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Commission of the Indian Constitution
“They will offer you ₹10,000 before an election and will loot you entirely after coming to power. This is BJP. Jhoot aur loot. This is what is going on in the country. We have to unite against this,” she said.
“Central agencies have sent us (TMC leaders) 400 notices. Many more will come. They may send us 40 million notices. We will still fight,” she said.
She also upped her ante against the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying that booth level officers (BLOs) were dying in all the states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. At least three BLOs have died in West Bengal.
“I think their demands are justified. BLOs in West Bengal had to wait for 48 hours before the poll panel heard their grievances. BLOs are dying. We had suggested that the SIR should be done over a period of three years. How can you expect the task to be completed within two months?” she said.
A ten-member delegation of the ruling TMC, comprising MPs, is likely to meet chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Friday over issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The ECI, however, has stated that it would meet a delegation of five TMC MPs.
Meanwhile, the ECI secretariat is sending a three-member team to West Bengal to look into the SIR process in the state. An office order of the ECI secretariat stated that the three officers would be attached to the West Bengal chief electoral officer (CEO) till the SIR process is completed.
Banerjee also expressed concern over a Rajya Sabha bulletin which said that there should be no “Thanks”, “Thank You”, “Jai Hind”, “Vande Mataram” or any other slogans raised in the House.
“I don’t know whether it is true, I have to check with the MPs. One cannot say ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ inside Parliament. Vande Mataram is our National Song. It is everyone’s slogan. It was the slogan of freedom fighters. Do they want to destroy the identity of Bengal?” the chief minister added.
“The Lok Sabha election is far away. Let her tackle the 2026 West Bengal assembly election first. She won’t remain in power after 2026. No one has disrespected the Constitution more than Mamata Banerjee and the TMC. Democracy doesn’t exist in Bengal. People are jailed in the state for expressing their views and the opposition has to move court every time they want to hold a rally,” said Rahul Sinha, BJP leader.
