Mamata Banerjee slams PM Modi for politicising Bengal floods

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising the recent floods and landslides in North Bengal.

In a strongly worded statement, Banerjee criticised Modi for blaming the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the West Bengal government without waiting for a proper investigation.
“It is unfortunate and deeply concerning that the Prime Minister of India has chosen to politicise a natural disaster without waiting for a proper investigation, especially while people in North Bengal are grappling with the aftermath of devastating floods and landslides,” Banerjee said in a post on X.

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She questioned the timing of PM Modi’s statement, pointing out that the entire local administration and police were engaged in relief and rescue operations.

Banerjee also criticised PM Modi for blaming the TMC and the West Bengal government without providing any verified evidence, legal inquiry, or administrative report. “This is not just a political low, it is a breach of the constitutional ethos the Prime Minister has sworn to uphold,” she said. In a democracy, she emphasised, the law must take its own course, and only due process can determine culpability – not a tweet from a political pulpit.

Banerjee accused PM Modi of engaging in opportunistic political theatre, pointing out that he visited Manipur 964 days after it was engulfed in ethnic violence. “Coming from a Prime Minister who visited Manipur only 964 days after it was engulfed in ethnic violence, the sudden concern for Bengal appears less like empathy and more like opportunistic political theatre,” she said.

Banerjee urged PM Modi to act as the Prime Minister of India, not just of the BJP, and to listen to the elected state government. “Let us not deepen divides. Let us stand united beyond party lines, to serve the people who need us the most. Let’s leave politics for another day,” she appealed.

The controversy began when BJP leaders, including MP Khagen Murmu and MLA Sankar Ghosh, were attacked during their visit to the flood-affected areas in North Bengal. PM Modi condemned the attack, blaming the TMC and the West Bengal government for the incident.

Banerjee, however, denied the allegations, saying that the BJP leaders had visited the area without informing the local administration.