Kolkata, 21 July (H.S.):

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Shahid Minar stage in Dharmatala on Monday. Addressing a large gathering of party supporters, Banerjee declared that the BJP lacks the kind of dedicated workers that the TMC has and claimed that the saffron party will not come to power in West Bengal even in the next 100 years.

“After 2026, we will uproot the lotus (BJP's symbol) from Bengal,” Banerjee asserted. Emphasizing the importance of the Bengali language and identity, he said, “We speak in Bangla, we will continue to do so with pride. If necessary, we will say it a hundred times. After 2026, BJP will also be forced to say ‘Joy Bangla’—mark my words.”

Criticizing the central government’s policies, Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to send Bengal's people to detention camps. “But after 2026, it is the BJP that will be sent there. They will find no space in Bengal,” he said.

He further alleged the misuse of central agencies, saying, “We will not sell our spine. Even if our throats are slit, only ‘Joy Bangla’ will flow through our veins.” Banerjee also claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Election Commission (EC) have become tools of the BJP. “They are removing names from the voters’ list using these two ‘E’s as weapons, but we are not afraid,” he added.

Reiterating earlier allegations, Banerjee said, “We were the first to call BJP anti-Bengal. When they cannot win on the ground, they target the poor. They insult Bengal’s culture and block funds for development schemes. That is the true face of the BJP—anti-Bengal mentality.”

Before beginning his speech, Abhishek Banerjee paid tribute to the martyrs and greeted the crowd. His address was met with enthusiastic slogans and chants from TMC supporters present at the venue.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh