Mamata Banerjee Warns Bengal Women to Prepare for Voter List Challenges Amid SIR Controversy

Kolkata:

Trinamool Congress leader and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee delivered passionate remarks targeting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal, which is headed toward elections. She urged women across the state to be ready with kitchen implements if their names are removed during the voter list review process.

"Will you take away the rights of mothers and sisters in the name of SIR? They will bring police from Delhi during elections to intimidate mothers and sisters. Mothers and sisters, if your names are struck off, you have your tools, don't you? The tools you use for cooking. You have strength, right? You won't let it slide if your names are removed, correct? Women will lead the fight, with men supporting from behind," Banerjee declared at a rally in Bengal's Krishnagar.

The Chief Minister expressed her desire to see who possessed more power: women or the BJP. "I don't subscribe to communalism. I believe in secularism. Whenever elections approach, the BJP attempts to use money and import people from other states to create divisions," she claimed.

Banerjee mentioned the mass Bhagavat Gita recitation event organized in Kolkata on Sunday. "We all recite the Gita at home when needed. Why organize a public gathering? Gods reside in the heart. Those who pray to Allah do so in their hearts. During Ramzan and during Durga Pujo, we pray together. To those shouting about the Gita, I ask what Lord Krishna actually said. Dharma means purity, humanity, peace—not violence, discrimination, or division," she stated.

She emphasized that great personalities such as Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose never divided people. "So who are you to do so?" she questioned.

The Chief Minister noted that the people of Bengal, who fought for Independence and made ultimate sacrifices for the nation, now must prove they are citizens of India.

"You should decide if you want to consume fish and meat. BJP won't even allow you that choice. You must make your decisions. What one eats—vegetarian or non-vegetarian—is a personal preference," she said.

Banerjee compared her resistance to that of an injured tiger, which she described as more ferocious than a healthy one. "If you attack us, we know how to respond. We know how to stop injustice," she declared. She alleged that the BJP intends to conduct elections based on lists prepared by its IT cell, adding, "Remember, Bihar couldn't succeed, but Bengal will stand strong, regardless of your actions."

She asserted that her government would prevent anyone from displacing Bengal's residents. "I have only one request. Do not approach BSF posts in border areas," she cautioned.