3 min readApr 5, 2026 09:11 AM IST
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, calling him a “malicious” and “destructive force” amid allegations of mass voter deletions in the state.
Addressing an election campaign rally at Sristishree Field in Malda, Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of removing legitimate voters from electoral rolls. She claimed that the scale of voter deletion was unprecedented, forcing her to take the battle to the Supreme Court. “First, 58 lakh voters were deleted. Then 60 lakh voters were kept under adjudication. I fought in the Supreme Court due to which 22 lakh voters have been retained. I am hopeful that 10 lakh more voters will be retained,” CM Banerjee stated.
Addressing Shah as “Motabhai”, Banerjee alleged that the Home Minister’s agenda was centered on division rather than development. “But there is nothing this ‘Motabhai’ isn’t capable of. He only knows how to destroy. He is a very malicious person… Mota Bhai can do anything. He is a destructive force.”
The Trinamool Congress supremo was accompanied by Gazole candidate Prasenjit Das and Chanchal’s Prasun Banerjee.
Addressing the diverse demographic of Malda, Banerjee highlighted the impact of voter deletions on the Matua, Rajbanshi, and Minority communities. She claimed that around 250 people, including booth-level officers, died due to process-related stress.
“Around 250 people have died. Half of them are Hindu while the other half is Muslim. It includes SCs & STs. Who will give justice to them? If you vote for AITC, their souls will get peace,” she said.
She also questioned the BJP’s rhetoric regarding the Muslim community, noting a contradiction in the Prime Minister’s foreign policy: “If Muslims are bad then why does PM Modi hug & dine with the leaders of the Arab world?”
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The Chief Minister urged those affected to appeal for re-enrollment, promising state assistance: “People who have been wrongly deleted will get assistance from our side… We would urge you to appeal first.”
She reminded the electorate that a vote for any AITC candidate was a vote for her personally. “I would urge you not to vote for any other party and cause division of votes. Remember, I will be heading the government. So, forget who is contesting from which seat. I am the candidate in all 294 seats.”
Banerjee also alleged that central agencies were being used to terrorise the public, even claiming that individuals were posing as government officials to steal bank details. She specifically named an individual, “Bansal,” as being involved in such activities.
Mamata Banerjee also slammed the Congress, CPI(M), and BJP saying they are splitting anti-BJP votes. She further criticised the Congress and “communal leaders from Hyderabad” (referring to the AIMIM) for being absent during local crises.
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