New Delhi witnessed sharp political exchanges on Wednesday as West Bengal BJP leaders unleashed a scathing attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent four-day visit to the national capital. State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and MP Samik Bhattacharya accused her of staging a theatrical performance purely for media attention amid escalating tensions over the state’s electoral rolls.
Bhattacharya reiterated grave concerns about the inclusion of Bangladeshi infiltrators, Rohingya refugees, and fake voters in West Bengal’s voter lists. ‘These intruders will be identified, removed, and deported,’ he declared firmly during a press briefing at the BJP’s Delhi headquarters, flanked by Majumdar, the MP from Balurghat and a state minister.
Majumdar dismissed Banerjee’s itinerary from February 1 to 4 as nothing short of ‘drama.’ He pointed out her orchestrated protests first outside the state guest house, then at the Election Commission’s office, culminating in a Supreme Court appearance. ‘This was all for the cameras, a desperate bid to grab headlines. Everything was prepped behind the scenes, but it flopped spectacularly,’ he quipped.
The BJP leader highlighted a rare judicial rebuke, noting that a Supreme Court judge effectively told Banerjee to stay silent—a directive not commonly given to a sitting chief minister. Majumdar challenged her claims on post-poll violence under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, questioning how many district magistrates had reported to the Chief Election Commissioner and how many death certificates were submitted.
Media reports detailed Banerjee presenting families affected by alleged SIR-related harassment to the CEC and later to the press, before arguing her case in court surrounded by lawyers. Bhattacharya countered that SIR is underway smoothly in 12 other states, yet West Bengal sees the most resistance. He reminded everyone of Banerjee’s 2005 demand for voter IDs, when she herself accused the CPI(M) of padding lists with Bangladeshi names.
The leaders decried porous borders spanning 2,200 km with Bangladesh, riddled with rivers and gaps that no single force can seal without political will and public vigilance. They alleged TMC intimidation of booth-level officers (BLOs), including a near-fatal attack on a female BLO’s husband, and obstruction of BJP agents filing Form-7 deletions.
Bhattacharya painted a grim picture of violence, claiming over 300 BJP workers killed since 2016, including 56 in 27 days during the 2021 assembly polls, with women among the victims reporting gang rapes. With TMC losing ground, they accused it of weaponizing SIR in courts to stoke pressure and suppress opposition, turning a routine exercise into a political battlefield.