Kolkata, 15 April (H.S.) : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), if voted to power in West Bengal, would recover “every rupee looted from the people” by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), along with interest.

Addressing an election rally in Rajganj in Jalpaiguri district, Shah also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced no allegations of corruption despite being in power for 24 years. “Modi governed Gujarat for 12 years and has led the country for another 12 years, yet there has not been a single allegation of corruption against him,” he said.

Shah alleged that TMC leaders were involved in financial irregularities, including around ₹300 crore in the teacher recruitment scam and nearly ₹100 crore from flood relief funds meant for North Bengal. He said strict action would be taken in these cases if the BJP forms the government in the state.

Launching a broader attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Shah said the end of her government was imminent and that the political shift would begin from North Bengal.

Highlighting the region’s identity, he said North Bengal is known for the “three Ts”—tea, timber, and tourism—but alleged that the current government has added a “fourth T: tears,” referring to what he described as the suffering of BJP workers.

Appealing to voters, Shah urged them to press the lotus symbol on the electronic voting machine, stating that it would help the BJP “bring TMC’s alleged wrongdoers to justice.”

He also promised that, if elected, a BJP government would grant land rights to tea garden workers, enabling them to become landowners.

As campaigning intensifies ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, political exchanges between the BJP and the TMC continue to escalate across the state.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh