Monday, 23 March 2026
Monday, 23 March 2026
Lashing out at the Election Commission for transferring top state bureaucrats and police officers shortly after announcing the assembly polls in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee branded the poll panel and the ruling BJP as "anti-women and anti-Bengal".
Speaking at a rally at Dorina crossing in central Kolkata following a march to protest the LPG crisis in the state, Banerjee said the saffron camp may change as many officers as they want, but they will not be able to change the government.
"It doesn't matter who you appoint as replacement officers; they will all work for Bengal," Banerjee said, apparently hitting out at the EC but without directly naming it.
"They chose the hour of midnight to remove Nandini Chakravorty, the chief secretary and a Bengali woman, without consulting the state government. It goes to show how anti-women they are," Banerjee said.
The CM also referred to the removal of state home secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena to criticise the poll body.
"Our home secretary is a non-Bengali person. His removal reflects the deep disdain they have for efficient officers of Bengal," the TMC supremo said.
Mamata also issued a sharp warning to the BJP over the alleged attack on the residence of state minister Shashi Panja.
“I challenge BJP to attack houses of me, other TMC leaders; we know how to resist,” news agency PTI quoted Banerjeeas saying during the rally.
The chief minister’s remarks came after allegations surfaced that stones were thrown at the residence of West Bengal minister Shashi Panja in the Girish Park area of Kolkata.
She further accused the BJP of orchestrating the attack and condemned the alleged violence on the day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in the state.
“BJP should be ashamed for attack on Bengal minister Sashi Panja's house by party-backed anti-socials on day of PM's rally,” Mamata said.
Speaking on the prevailing LPG cooking gas crisis in the state in the wake of the conflict in West Asia, Banerjee claimed the problem was "artificially created".
"The LPG crisis is artificially created by disabling oil company servers. I have spoken with their representatives, and there is no real crisis of gas," she said.
Mamata on Monday led a rally in the city demanding protection of democratic rights of the people of the state and against the LPG crisis.
The procession started from College Square in the central part of the city, and thousands of people are participating in the rally that will culminate at Dorina Crossing.
Roads leading to the central part of the city experienced heavy traffic due to Mamata's rally.
The Election Commission on Sunday had announced two-phase West Bengal Assembly polls on April 23 and 29.
