Chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing it of coercing migrant labourers into pledging votes in its favour by invoking religion.
Addressing public meetings at Amdanga in North 24-Parganas and later in Haripal in Hooghly, Mamata alleged that workers returning from other states were being compelled to take vows on holy books.
“People who have gone to work in other states are returning to Bengal to vote. They are being asked to vote in favour of the BJP by touching the Gita and the Quran,” Mamata said, reiterating the charge more than once in her speeches. “If they want to fight against me, they should fight directly,” she added, accusing the BJP of resorting to religious intimidation rather than political contest.
Her remarks come at a time when a large number of migrant workers from Bengal — officially estimated at over 21.59 lakh — have begun returning home to vote from states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana and Delhi, often at the cost of losing wages.
While political parties are making efforts to facilitate their return, Mamata alleged that many workers were being subjected to “religious blackmail”, with Muslims being asked to touch the Quran and Hindus the Gita to pledge support for the BJP.
Even as there are reports of organised travel arrangements for select groups of migrant workers — allegedly supported by networks linked to the BJP — many others are undertaking the journey on their own.
For many workers, the urgency is also driven by a growing perception that absence during these post-SIR polls could lead to deletion of their names as voters.
Trinamool insiders indicated that the chief minister’s remarks were aimed at highlighting what the party sees as a systematic attempt to exploit religious sentiments for electoral gain. “This is a crime indeed as the BJP has shown how low they can fall,” a senior Trinamool leader said.
Mamata, in her addresses, urged voters not to fall prey to inducement or coercion. She also raised fears about the influx of “outsiders” in Bengal during the polls. “They will come by train from Rajasthan and Bihar to vote.... I am giving responsibility to mothers. Those who try to escape by casting false votes will not be allowed to escape,” she said.
Mamata further accused the BJP-led Centre of misusing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, alleging that citizenship certificates were being issued to individuals who had entered the country as recently as 2025.
Turning her focus to election security arrangements, Mamata questioned the deployment of armoured vehicles in Bengal. She alleged that such measures were being used to create tension rather than ensure free and fair polls.
Drawing a parallel with national security, Mamata criticised the Centre over last year’s terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were killed. “Terrorists killed our tourists, but Modibabu could not attack Pakistan. But it (the Modi government) brought the armoured vehicles for the poll in Bengal. Where is its utility here? Where had all such vehicles gone when terrorists attacked the tourists?” she said, adding that such resources would have been better utilised in troubled Manipur.
Controversially, Mamata claimed that central forces deployed during elections would illegally vote for the BJP. “I will tell them, don’t do politics. We salute you. You protect the country. The central forces are saying ‘BJP zindabad’ now,” Mamata said.
