West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing supporters from her dharna stage against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on March 9, made remarks laced with communal insinuations that amount to fear-mongering ahead of elections.
The All India Trinamool Congress launched a protest against the SIR exercise at Esplanade from March 6. The party alleged that the revision process was leading to the arbitrary deletion of names from voter rolls and demanded that "genuine voters" be restored to the electoral lists.
During her speech on March 9, Banerjee addressed a familiar allegation raised by the BJP that her party had facilitated the entry of Muslims into the state from Bangladesh. Speaking in Hindi, she said, "Why do you keep saying that I or we brought Muslims into the state? If someone is to be questioned for that, it should be Gandhi Ji during independence. Question Nehru ji. Question Rajendra Prasad. Question Ambedkar. You weren't even born back then."
She then switched to Bengali and suggested that there was social harmony in the state because the Trinamool was in power. "It is because of us that you are all doing well. If a day comes when we are no longer here, it will take just one second," Banerjee said. She then warned: "If a certain community unites and surrounds you, it will take just one second; they will completely finish you off."
Her exact words in Bengali were as follows: ''আমরা আছি বলে না, আপনারা সবাই ভাল আছেন। আর যদি আমরা না থাকি, কোনও দিন সেই রকম আসে, এক সেকেন্ড লাগবে! একটা কমিউনিটি যখন জোট বাঁধে না, ঘিরে ফেললে এক সেকেন্ডে দেবে একদম বারোটা বাজিয়ে..."
Later in the speech, Banerjee attempted to strike a conciliatory note, stating that people from across India were safe in the state. "Citizens from all states are absolutely safe in Bengal; no one will disturb you. This is our Sonar Bangla," she said, urging people not to fall for the BJP's propaganda or attempt to "target a particular community."
The relevant part of the speech can be heard at the 7.49.35-minute-mark onwards in the following video shared from Banerjee's official Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/MamataBanerjeeOfficial/videos/4790199081206842
The chief minister's remarks appear to invoke the spectre of communal violence in an already charged political climate. In suggesting that the safety of communities depends on Trinamool coming back to power, and by conjuring the image of one community "surrounding" and "finishing off" another, the remarks risked deepening mistrust between communities. Such rhetoric, particularly from a sitting chief minister, could be seen as inflammatory, especially with elections on the horizon.
The remarks are also significant in the context of the ongoing controversy over the SIR exercise itself. The revision of electoral rolls has already been mired in allegations that minority communities are being disproportionately affected through deletions and documentation requirements. In that backdrop, Banerjee's speech — rather than calming anxieties — reinforces the narrative of communal polarization.
By invoking a hypothetical scenario of communal retaliation, the chief minister also amplified fears that minorities or majorities could become targets depending on political outcomes.
Communal Blackmailing: BJP
The chief minister's remarks drew sharp criticism from various quarters, including her political rivals. BJP's Darjeeling MP Raju Bista called it "outright communal blackmail".
"This is what TMC has achieved for West Bengal, playing one community against others, and holding the entire state to hostage. This is also why, TMC needs to be uprooted," he wrote on X.
BJP leader Amit Malviya stated in an X post that "the days of veiled threats are gone" and Banerjee's "desperation to polarise society is evident" in her remarks.
CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Mohammad Salim sought FIR against Banerjee for her remarks, which, Salim said was meant to "incite one community against another and disrupt the election process."
CPI(M) West Bengal also shared a video from its X handle which contrasted Banerjee's remarks against former chief minister Buddhabeb Bhattacharjee's comments asserting communal harmony in Bengal.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, too, condemned the remarks, alleging that the Bengal chief minister was indulging in politics of communal polarization.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the establishment of tribunals to review appeals regarding exclusions from the voters' list during the SIR. In light of this decision, the TMC supremo called off the dharna she had been holding, which had entered its fifth day on March 11.
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