Kolkata, April 26: Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp offensive against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday at an election rally in Tehatta, Nadia district, accusing her and the Congress of historically appeasing terrorists while crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi with transforming India's counter-terror doctrine through decisive military responses including Operation Sindoor.

Shah's Broadside Against Mamata and Congress on Terrorism

Amit Shah did not mince words as he addressed thousands of supporters in Nadia, one of the politically crucial districts in the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections. He accused the Trinamool Congress-led state government and the Congress party of coddling terrorists rather than confronting them.

"When Mamata Banerjee and the Congress government were in power, they used to feed biryani to terrorists. In 2014, when the PM Modi government came to power, an attack happened in Uri, we carried out a surgical strike; an attack happened in Pulwama, we conducted an air strike, and an attack happened in Pahalgam, we carried out Operation Sindoor and wiped out the terrorists. PM Modi has freed this country from terrorism," declared HM Shah.

The reference to Operation Sindoor marks a significant political moment — the BJP is now actively weaving the recent counter-terror strike into its electoral messaging, signaling that national security will be a defining issue in the Bengal polls.

Infiltrator Crackdown and SIR Controversy

Shah reiterated the BJP's firm promise to identify and expel illegal immigrants from West Bengal if the party wins power, directly targeting Mamata Banerjee's opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — a process critics of the TMC government say is being resisted to protect vote-bank interests.

"PM Modi has freed this country from Naxalism. Once the BJP government comes to power here, we will find out and drive out the infiltrators one by one. Didi (Mamata Banerjee) says, 'Why are you removing the names of infiltrators through SIR?' Didi, your time is up. On May 4th, the BJP government is coming. After the BJP's Chief Minister takes office, we will not just remove infiltrators from the voter list, but expel them from Bengal," he thundered.

This is a pointed escalation. The SIR process has been a flashpoint between the Election Commission of India and the TMC, with Mamata Banerjee publicly alleging that the exercise disenfranchises legitimate voters from minority communities — a charge the BJP flatly rejects as political deflection.

Cow Smuggling Squad and End of 'Goonda Raj'

Shah also promised the formation of a dedicated squad to curb cow smuggling from West Bengal — an issue that has long been a BJP rallying point in the state, where cross-border cattle trade has been linked to organised criminal networks.

"The BJP will end goonda raj and syndicate raj in West Bengal if the party comes to power in the state. We will create a separate squad to stop cow smuggling from West Bengal," said HM Shah.

The promise targets a deeply felt grievance among Hindu voters in rural Bengal, where cattle theft and smuggling have been recurring complaints against the TMC administration for over a decade.

BJP Claims 110 Seats Won in Phase 1, Eyes Full Sweep

Shah struck a confident note on the electoral arithmetic, claiming the BJP had already secured victory in 110 seats from the first phase of polling held on April 23.

"The BJP has already won 110 seats in the first phase of polls held on April 23. The rest of the work will be done by the people in the second phase," he asserted.

The remaining 142 constituencies are scheduled to vote in the second and final phase on April 29, with votes to be counted on May 4. The BJP needs a strong showing in Phase 2 — which covers several TMC strongholds — to translate Shah's confident projections into reality.

Bigger Picture: National Security as Bengal's Ballot Issue

Notably, Shah's rally comes at a moment when Operation Sindoor has dramatically reshaped the national conversation around India's security posture. By linking the strike directly to Modi's governance record and contrasting it with Mamata's alleged softness, the BJP is executing a deliberate strategy: nationalize the Bengal election around security and sovereignty rather than allow it to be fought purely on local governance issues.

Critics argue that Mamata Banerjee's government has a mixed record on law and order — the state has faced multiple incidents of political violence, and the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data has historically placed West Bengal among states with high rates of crimes against women. The BJP has consistently used this data to challenge the TMC's development narrative.

With May 4 counting day fast approaching, all eyes will be on whether Shah's aggressive campaign blitz in districts like Nadia translates into the seat tally the BJP needs to end Mamata Banerjee's 14-year grip on West Bengal.