Last Updated:January 31, 2026, 17:24 IST
Amit Shah accused Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress of institutionalising corruption in Bengal, urging voters to elect BJP for national security in the 2026 elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that her government is the most corrupt in the country.
Speaking at a public event in Bagdogra, Shah said he could say “without hesitation" that no other government in India matched the level of corruption under the Trinamool Congress regime in Bengal.
“Mamata Didi says there is no corruption. Mamata Didi, you have institutionalised corruption," Shah said. He further accused Banerjee of turning a blind eye to alleged wrongdoing due to her affection for her nephew, a reference widely seen as aimed at senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.
“You are blinded by your love for your nephew; you can’t see the corruption," Shah said, intensifying the BJP’s offensive against the Bengal government.
“Corrupt TMC regime sheltering infiltrators; BJP govt in Bengal vital for national security"
In another meeting at Barrackpore, Shah said that forming a BJP government in West Bengal was no longer merely a political goal but a “national security necessity". He asserted that the 2026 Assembly elections would bring an end to TMC rule in the state.
“The way infiltration is taking place in West Bengal, it has become a security issue for the entire country," Shah said. He alleged that despite court orders, the state government had failed to provide land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for border fencing because infiltrators constituted the TMC’s vote bank.
Shah further claimed that the state administration and police were not stopping illegal migrants, who, he alleged, were being sent across the country using fake documents. He said the Calcutta High Court had acknowledged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not cooperating in handing over land required for border fencing.
“But whether Mamata Banerjee provides land by March 31 as directed by the high court or not, in April a BJP chief minister will complete the border fencing work within 45 days," Shah said, adding that the BJP had a record of delivering on its promises.
The Calcutta High Court recently directed the West Bengal government to hand over already acquired land in nine border districts to the BSF by March 31 for installing barbed-wire fencing along the India–Bangladesh border. The court noted that West Bengal accounts for more than half of India’s total border with Bangladesh and that large stretches remain unfenced despite multiple cabinet decisions since 2016.
Drawing a comparison with Assam, Shah said infiltration had stopped there after the BJP came to power, unlike during the Congress regime.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Shah said Banerjee could oppose it “as much as she wants, but it would go ahead to weed out infiltrators from voter lists. He added that any illegal names remaining would be removed once a BJP government was formed.
Shah also accused the TMC of intimidating the Matua and Namasudra communities over citizenship issues. “There is no need to be afraid. Mamata ji cannot touch your vote," he said, assuring them of protection and dignity under a BJP government.
Referring to the recent fire at a Momo factory in Anandapur near Kolkata, Shah alleged it was “not an accident but the result of the corruption of the Mamata Banerjee government". He questioned why the factory owners had not yet been arrested and suggested their proximity to the ruling party could be the reason.
“Has the administration completely ceased to exist in Bengal?" Shah asked, adding that the TMC would have reacted differently had the victims belonged to a “particular community".
Accusing the ruling party of institutionalising corruption, Shah challenged Banerjee to demonstrate her seriousness by denying election tickets to “tainted ministers" in the upcoming Assembly polls. He also alleged that the TMC opposed a discussion on Vande Mataram in Parliament to appease infiltrators.
Calling on voters to “uproot" the TMC, Shah urged the establishment of what he described as a “government of patriots and nationalists" in West Bengal. Predicting a decisive mandate, he said the BJP would cross 50 per cent vote share in 2026, recalling that the party had secured 38 per cent votes and 77 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections.
“The year 2026 is the year to say ‘tata, bye-bye’ to the TMC," Shah said.
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News india 'Blinded By Love For Nephew': Amit Shah Attacks Mamata Banerjee, Asks 'Can't You See Corruption'
