Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Sunday accused the TMC government in West Bengal of aiding “state-sponsored infiltration” and corruption, claiming that incidents of assault on women in Sandeshkhali and the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital are evidence that women are “not safe” in the state.
Shah also said that the next big target for the BJP is winning the West Bengal assembly polls in 2026 with a two-third majority, asserting that this is the only way to address corruption and infiltration.
He launched the party’s membership drive in West Bengal, setting a target of enrolling one crore members from the state.
“In Bengal, where Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore songs) used to be heard in the morning, sound of bombs is heard everywhere now. In Bengal, state-sponsored infiltration is going on. Corruption in hiring process, health sector and rations along with cut money and syndicates, is rampant. To get rid of it and build a Sonar Bangla (Developed Bengal) as envisioned by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the people of Bengal need to elect a BJP government in 2026,” he said.
This cut-money culture and corruption must end in West Bengal, he said while setting a target of “winning a two-thirds majority” in the 2026 assembly polls in Bengal.
Shah referred to incidents in Sandeshkhali and RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a woman doctor was raped and murdered in August, asserting that these exemplify the lack of security for women in West Bengal.
Ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha polls, allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district had surfaced and became one of the issues dominating the parliamentary poll narratives in Bengal.
“Women are not safe in Bengal. Incidents like Sandeshkhali and RG Kar will stop when BJP comes to power in 2026,” he said.
Shah urged party members not to underestimate their influence in the state, stating, “Mamata didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) must not be very happy that we got fewer seats in the Lok Sabha in Bengal. She should not think we are sitting idle as we got a few seats less (than our target).”
The BJP, which had set a target of winning over 30 of the total 42 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal in 2024, secured only 12, six less than what it bagged in 2019.
“Don’t forget, we are a party that has gone from two seats to 370 seats and has taken steps like the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Of the state elections held in 2024, we have won more than 50 per cent. We have won in Haryana and we will win in Jharkhand and Maharashtra,” he said.
“After that, our next big target in 2026 is winning in Bengal and forming the next government with a two-thirds majority,” the BJP leader added.
This is Shah’s first visit to Bengal after the Lok Sabha polls in April-May and also after the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at state-run RG Kar hospital, triggering nationwide protests.
The Union Home Minister also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, pointing out that while the Congress party is celebrating its performance in this year’s Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA has secured a third consecutive term.
“Rahul Gandhi claimed in Parliament that they defeated us in the elections, and I don’t understand why his allies don’t make him understand that those who win take the oath of Prime Minister and those who lose sit in the opposition benches. If you count the number of seats that the Congress has won since 2014, it won’t touch 240. If you combine the seats of all the allies of Congress this time, it still will not touch 240. But still, they are claiming they have defeated us,” Shah said.
The BJP has secured 240 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
About TMC government’s allegations that the Centre was not releasing funds due to the state, Shah alleged that funds sent by the central government are being siphoned off by ruling party leaders.
“I want to ask Mamata didi: how much funding did the INDI alliance (Congress-led UPA government) allocate to Bengal? From 2004 to 2014, the UPA government gave 2.9 lakh crore to Bengal, while the NDA government has provided 7.74 lakh crore from 2014 to 2024,” he said.
“Today, I visited the border, and some individuals mentioned that they aren’t receiving the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. I told them to wait until 2026. From 2026, every poor person in Bengal will receive the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Furthermore, the youth won’t need to pay bribes for jobs and education,” he stated.
The TMC government in Bengal did not implement the Centre’s health insurance policy.
Responding to Shah’s accusations, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Infiltration is a problem at the international border, which is being guarded by the BSF under his ministry. Therefore, if infiltration is an issue, it is a failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the central agencies responsible for border protection.”
Ghosh said Shah is viewed in Bengal as a “political tourist” who has little influence on local politics.
“He often comes before elections and makes tall claims, but poll results speak a different story,” the TMC leader said.
PTI