Tensions are boiling over in West Bengal politics with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set to lead a dharna on March 6 in Kolkata protesting the excision of names from the post-SIR voter list. The site? Esplanade, site of her epic 26-day 2008 anshan.
BJP’s state chief Sukanta Majumdar pounced on the news. ‘Dharna for Bangladeshi infiltrators, Rohingyas, and dead voters? People see through TMC’s game,’ he retorted, framing the protest as defense of the indefensible.
Abhishek Banerjee, TMC’s national general secretary, set the stage at a weekend media briefing, branding it a BJP-Election Commission plot. ‘Unable to win at the ballot, they’re deleting over 1 crore voters pre-SIR – an assault on rights,’ he thundered.
He grilled the Commission: ‘Publicize those Bangladeshi/Rohingya IDs from SIR or admit it’s BJP propaganda. Deaths from this chaos, deletions on flimsy grounds – all to hit their crore-target. Democracy dies here.’
The voter row pits TMC’s grassroots fury against BJP’s cleanup crusade. Mamata’s street show aims to rally supporters and pressure authorities, potentially galvanizing her base. As barbs escalate, Bengal braces for a protracted showdown over who truly represents the people’s voice.