TMC chief targets BJP over Assam polls, alleges 50,000 outsiders from UP

West Bengal, April 10: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) brought people from outside to participate in the Assam Assembly elections as it lacked confidence in securing victory solely through the votes of the state’s residents.

Addressing an election rally at Tentulia in North 24 Parganas district, Banerjee claimed that the BJP had mobilised outsiders from Uttar Pradesh during the Assam polls.

“A trainload of 50,000 people was brought to Assam from Uttar Pradesh,” she alleged.

Taking a sharp swipe at the saffron party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said, “Even a snake can be trusted, but not the BJP.”

Her remarks come amid escalating political rhetoric between the TMC and BJP ahead of the upcoming two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal.

Banerjee further alleged that constitutional and investigative agencies were no longer functioning impartially under the BJP-led Central government.

“No agency in the country is neutral under the BJP government at the Centre because the saffron party has bought them all,” she claimed.

Raising concerns over voter roll revisions in West Bengal, Banerjee said nearly 90 lakh names had been deleted from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state.

Citing a newspaper report, she claimed that of the deleted names, 60 lakh belonged to Hindus and 30 lakh to Muslims.

The TMC chief also referred to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam to attack the BJP, alleging that the process had disproportionately impacted Hindus.

“The BJP should never be trusted. In the NRC exercise in Assam, out of 19 lakh names delisted, 13 lakh were Hindus and 6 lakh were Muslims,” she said.

The Assam Assembly elections for all 126 constituencies were held in a single phase on Thursday, with the Election Commission recording a final voter turnout of 85.91 per cent.

PTI