In early Bengal push, Modi slams Mamata; she fires ‘poll ready’ dare

Principal rivals in West Bengal sounded an early poll bugle on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring that the people of the state were keen to oust a ruthless dispensation and ruling TMC chief Mamata Banerjee hitting back with a dare, “We are ready for elections tomorrow.”

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Shocked at timing

"We are shocked at what PM said at a time when all parties are representing the country abroad… I challenge them (BJP), if they have guts, they should go for elections tomorrow. We are ready," said Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM

Speaking in Bengal’s Alipurduar, where he laid the foundation stone for a city gas distribution project, the PM unveiled the BJP’s poll slogan for the 2026 Assembly elections and declared that Operation Sindoor was not over yet.

“The people of Bengal have lost faith in TMC’s governance. Courts are being forced to intervene in every matter because the state government has failed to uphold justice. The voice of Bengal is loud and clear, ‘Banglar chitkar, lagbe na nirmam shorkar’ (Bengal’s war cry is: We reject a ruthless government),” he said in the Bengal’s strategic city, which has the Chicken Neck corridor on one side and northeastern states on the other.

The PM, visiting Bengal for the first time since the 2024 LS elections, criticised the TMC government for “fomenting communal violence in Malda and Murshidabad in the aftermath of the Waqf Amendment Act passage” and said the state was simultaneously grappling with multiple crises.

He listed five crises afflicting Bengal: Rampant violence and lawlessness, growing insecurity among women, rising youth unemployment, deep-rooted corruption and plummeting public trust, and TMC’s self-serving politics that deny the poor their rightful benefits.

Recalling communal tensions after the Waqf Act passage, Modi said, "Look at what happened in Murshidabad and Malda. These were clear examples of the government's cruelty. In the name of appeasement, lawlessness was allowed to flourish. Hooligans had a free run. Members of the ruling party marked out homes and set them on fire, while the police stood by as mute spectators and did nothing."

The PM's specific appeal today was to the youth, whom he said alone could salvage Bengal. “This is a decisive moment for West Bengal’s younger generation, which holds the key to the state’s future,” he said, slamming the TMC government for the teacher recruitment scam that “ruined several lives”.

Mamata hit back after the PM’s rally, questioning his combative stance while opposition delegations were engaged in global outreach over Operation Sindoor. “We are shocked and saddened at what PM Modi said today, especially when all opposition leaders as a team are representing the country abroad. Is this the time for Modi to say such things?” she asked.

She pointed out that in the PM’s presence, one of his ministers had said, “Like Operation Sindoor, the BJP will do a Bengal operation also.”

“I challenge them, if they have guts, they should go for elections tomorrow. We are ready, and Bengal is ready to accept their challenge,” the CM said, responding to the PM's invocation of Bengal’s revolutionary spirit.

The PM also accused the TMC of stalling infrastructure projects worth over Rs 90,000 crore. “This is nothing short of betrayal. While other states participate in NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting to plan for progress, TMC skips, choosing politics over development,” he said, referring to Mamata’s absence from last week’s NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi.

PM Modi's presence in Bengal, ahead of a visit to election-bound Bihar's Patna, signalled that the BJP was commencing early poll preparations in both eastern states. While the BJP-led NDA rules Bihar, the saffron party's growth in Bengal has been steady but slow.