Be ready with ‘kitchen tools’, Mamata urges women amid SIR row

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has triggered a fresh political storm after urging women to “be ready with kitchen tools” if their names were deleted from the electoral rolls, sharpening her attack on the Centre and the Election Commission during a rally in Krishnanagar.

Mamata, addressing a Trinamool Congress gathering, alleged that the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists was being misused to disenfranchise electorate in Opposition strongholds ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

“Mothers and sisters, if your names are struck off, you have the tools at home. You won’t let it pass if your names are cut, right? The women will fight from the front and the men will stand behind them,” she said.

Her remarks, widely circulated on social media and reported by regional outlets, came alongside a broader accusation that the SIR was a “political weapon” deployed to benefit the BJP. She claimed Central agencies and police teams from Delhi would be used to intimidate voters during the revision exercise.

She also escalated her attack on Home Minister Amit Shah, calling him “dangerous” and accusing the BJP of attempting to brand Bengalis as outsiders and push them to detention centres, a charge the party has rejected.