Is Mamata Banerjee Fabricating a False Narrative on Bengali Harassment in BJP-ruled States?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Mithun Chakraborty accuses Mamata Banerjee of deception regarding Bengali harassment.
- Claims of harassment have been dismissed as a political tactic.
- Chakraborty calls for BJP workers to assist in identifying illegal voters.
- The 2026 state elections are pivotal for the Trinamool Congress.
- Opposition to the ECI's revisions raises questions about electoral integrity.
Kolkata, July 24 (NationPress) Veteran actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday of fabricating a false narrative regarding the supposed harassment of Bengali-speaking individuals in BJP-governed regions. He stated, “Bengali speakers have not encountered any unwarranted harassment anywhere in the nation. The Trinamool Congress is running low on issues ahead of the elections, prompting the Chief Minister to forge a misleading story to provoke the public, as she has consistently done.” Chakraborty made these remarks upon his arrival in Kolkata to partake in several party events.
Furthermore, he dismissed the Trinamool Congress allegations that the Election Commission of India, under the influence of the BJP and the Union government, is selectively removing names from the voter list of Bengal residents.
“The names of legitimate Bengali voters are not being erased from the voter list anywhere in India. Only those names are being removed who entered illegally and managed to register in the voter list,” explained the BJP leader.
He pointed out that, ironically, the highest number of illegal entrants who have gotten their names on the voter list are located in West Bengal. “The leadership of the Trinamool Congress knows that if the names of these infiltrators are removed from the voter list, they would struggle to secure even 70 out of 294 seats in the 2026 state Assembly elections in West Bengal. This has caused them to panic and oppose the special intensive revision by the ECI,” Chakraborty noted.
He urged common BJP workers in the state to assist the Commission in identifying those illegal infiltrators whose names are listed in the voter rolls.
Since the onset, the Trinamool Congress has opposed this special intensive revision by the ECI, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee even asserting that her party would prevent this process in West Bengal. She claimed that this initiative was a covert attempt to introduce the NRC in West Bengal.