Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday, 15 October 2026, publicly questioned the circumstances surrounding the alleged knife-attack attempt on All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying the details of such incidents were consistently murky. Ghosh's remarks, made at New Town, came a day after police detained a woman near Banerjee's Kalighat residence in Kolkata following the reported incident on Tuesday evening.

What Allegedly Happened Near Kalighat

According to reports, a woman approached Banerjee near her residence while allegedly hurling abuses, and was described as appearing intoxicated. TMC MP Dola Sen subsequently lodged a police complaint, raising concerns both about the woman's conduct and about the adequacy of the security arrangements around the Trinamool leader. Police detained the woman for questioning, though the precise details of the encounter have not been officially confirmed.

Ghosh's Remarks on the Incident

Speaking to reporters, Ghosh was openly dismissive of the incident's framing. 'She keeps saying the same things. The public knows what she has done. No one knows where or how she gets attacked. Sometimes she falls at home, someone says she was pushed, and she herself says she was injured. No one knows what actually happened. She does not even know why she lost. In this situation, she should take some rest and reflect on what the public wants,' he said. His comments reflect a sharp escalation in BJP's rhetorical posture against Banerjee, who has faced a difficult run in recent electoral contests.

By-Election Results and Election Integrity Claims

Ghosh also reacted to recent by-election results in West Bengal, alleging systemic electoral malpractice under TMC's watch. 'Fair elections were not held in Bengal for many years, and people were not allowed to vote. Goons and police worked together to conduct elections. As soon as fair elections began, the results changed completely. The party that ruled the state for the last 15 years did not even get 3 per cent of the votes,' he claimed. Critics have long disputed such characterisations on both sides of the Bengal political divide, and independent electoral assessment of the state's polls has been a subject of ongoing legal and civic debate.

Broadsides at Rahul Gandhi and Congress

Ghosh did not limit his criticism to the TMC. Taking aim at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, he said, 'Rahul Gandhi will remain a student all his life. His behaviour will remain like that of the Taliban, and his learning will never be put into practice.' He also referenced a recent incident in which police reportedly detained Gandhi, framing it as protective action rather than confrontation. On Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghosh suggested the veteran leader should acknowledge the party's electoral defeats rather than attribute them to institutional failure. 'Why does Congress lose every election? Who is responsible? Is the Election Commission responsible? Is the EVM responsible?' he asked.

Gujarat Polls and Double-Engine Government

Commenting on local body election results in Gujarat, Ghosh attributed BJP's performance to the infrastructure and governance record of what he called a 'double-engine government' — a term the party uses when the same political formation holds both state and central power. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for the electoral outcomes, saying the country was progressing and people were broadly satisfied. As the Bengal political landscape heats up ahead of the next Assembly election cycle, Ghosh's remarks signal that the BJP intends to keep maximum pressure on both Banerjee and the Congress simultaneously.