Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said that those who tried to silence Bengal by sending in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have ultimately been silenced themselves.
Addressing a mammoth rally at Ghughumari Kadamtala in Cooch Behar, Mr Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the BJP, the ED and the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Mr Banerjee arrived at Hasimara Air Base in Alipurduar earlier in the day and travelled to the rally venue by road, offering prayers at Madan Mohan Mandir en route.
Referring to recent ED raids at the I-PAC office in Kolkata, the TMC leader alleged political vendetta and said: “Jara ED ke pathiyechhilo, tara nijerai jobdo hoye gachhe” (Those who sent the ED have themselves been silenced).
Raising concerns over SIR, Mr Banerjee claimed that around 3.5 lakh voters have received notices for hearings due to alleged linguistic discrepancies and are being harassed in the process. He directed party leaders to assist such voters and ensure their names are included in the final electoral rolls.
He further urged voters, who have faced harassment, to teach the BJP a lesson at the ballot box by voting for the TMC.
Describing the Election Commission of India as an “agent” of the BJP, Mr Banerjee alleged that the SIR exercise was aimed at turning Cooch Behar into “another Bihar”. To underline his claim, he presented at least 10 voters on the stage, alleging that their names had been deleted from the rolls after being declared “dead”.
The Diamond Harbour MP also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah of withholding central funds for Bengal and “snatching away voters’ rights” under the guise of SIR.
Political observers said the TMC’s aggressive campaign against SIR could prove counterproductive for the BJP.
Taking his attack further, Mr Banerjee said the election was no longer just a political contest but a fight to protect Bengal’s culture and language. “It is a fight against those who label Bengalis as Bangladeshis for speaking Bengali. This is a battle between the people of Bengal and the BJP,” he said.
He also targeted BJP leaders Nisith Pramanik, Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumder, calling upon voters to defeat the BJP decisively in the upcoming election. Thanking the people of Cooch Behar for defeating Mr Pramanik in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Mr Banerjee criticised the former MP’s remarks describing Cooch Behar’s Sutkabari as part of Bangladesh.
“Despite tall promises, the Prime Minister, the home minister and even a former Union Home Minister did nothing for Cooch Behar,” Mr Banerjee said, adding, “The more the BJP wins, the greater the suffering will be.”
He also thanked BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Roy alias Ananta Maharaj for opposing the SIR and mocking the Prime Minister during his protest.
Urging voters to ensure a clean sweep for the TMC, Mr Banerjee said: “Give all nine seats of Cooch Behar to the TMC, and I take full responsibility for the overall development of the district.”
He concluded by expressing confidence that the TMC would return to power for a fourth consecutive term, with Mamata Banerjee continuing as Chief Minister.