‘Give Modi a chance,’ Shah urges Bengal voters from rally
Times of India | 2 June 2025
12 Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday took off from where PM Narendra Modi had ended his first Bengal poll campaign speech on Thursday, signalling BJP's twin strategy for the 2026 assembly election in Bengal: Focus on and retain its core Hindu-nationalist votes while trying to chip away at TMC's female support base.Shah addressed BJP's ‘Vijay Sankalpa Karyakarta Sammelan' at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Sunday, three days after PM Modi addressed a public rally in north Bengal's Alipurduar. While reaching out to the the women voters in Bengal, Shah said, "Bengal's women will not tolerate any insult to sindoor," and urged them with "folded hands" to give Modi a chance and form a govt of true "deshbhakts".Shah then took aim at Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, claiming that she had been pained when Operation Sindoor was on and "hundreds of terrorists were being killed". "It would have been better if she felt the pain when Bengalis were killed. She didn't utter a word then," he said. Shah alleged that Banerjee had tried to oppose "Operation Sindoor" and "play with the emotions of crores of women in India". "She wanted to appease her Muslim vote bank. Mamata can support Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, but we haven't finished Operation Sindoor," the home minister added. He then urged the women voters to "make her (CM Banerjee) understand the value of sindoor in the next election.""Bengal has guided the entire nation — be it in knowledge, science, spirituality, or the freedom struggle. For years, Bengal led India in every field. But then came the rule of the Communists, and after that, Mamatadidi took charge with the slogan of ‘Ma, Mati, Manush'. She has now turned this great land of Bengal into a hub of infiltration, corruption, atrocities on women, crimes, bomb blasts and injustices against Hindus," Shah added and said the Banerjee-led govt's time was up. "During elections and even after Didi's victory, hundreds of BJP workers have been brutally killed. Didi, how long will you hide them? Mark my words — your time is over. In 2026, BJP govt is coming to office in Bengal," he went on to say.The home minister asked the CM as to what she had done for Bengal. "Under UPA, Bengal received Rs 2.09 lakh crore. Under Modiji, Bengal received Rs 8.27 lakh crore in 10 years. We have a list of every single development work. BJP will release this list. But this money didn't reach the villages—it was looted by the TMC syndicate. Even if Modiji sends Rs 50 lakh crore, it won't reach the people unless BJP is in power here. To get Modiji's benefits and homes, you must bring a BJP govt in Bengal," Shah said.Calling the violence at Murshidabad "state-sponsored riot", Shah said, "state govt did not seek help from BSF despite repeated alerts from us. Finally, BSF intervened only after the court's order. Meanwhile, Trinamool netas have been accusing BSF and encouraging the rioters. The way a minister was involved, it was nothing but a state-sponsored riot." he said. Attacking the CM again, Shah said: "She opposed the waqf amendments. Who was she trying to protect?"Shah underlined the "increase" in BJP's support base in Bengal from 77 assembly seats in 2021 to a lead in 97 assembly segments in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "In 143 seats, we secured more than 40% votes. We are not behind by much. We will have to increase our vote shares only by 4-5%. Didi's deposit will be forfeited in her own seat if she dares to conduct elections free of violence and rigging. We will not say zindabad till a BJP CM takes oath after the 2026 polls," Shah told the workers.In his 33-minute speech, Shah listed out alleged scams and corruption cases in Bengal and said that jobs of the state's youths were being sold. He claimed that in Sandeshkhali and RG Kar incidents, the CM stayed silent to appease her vote bank. Tribal and backward communities had been left out and Gorkhas were being harassed for not voting for TMC, he said, claiming no one was happy in Bengal. He promised that if voted to power, no Gorkhas will face "political vendetta". Mentioning Centre's efforts to give classical language status to Bengali, Shah assured that Hindu refugees, whose names were being deleted from voters' list, need not worry and should apply for citizenship under CAA.