Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said he prayed before Goddess Durga for a change of guard in West Bengal after the 2026 assembly polls to build a 'Sonar Bangla', drawing a sharp retort from senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, who accused the BJP of being "anti-Bengali" and starving the state of funds.

Inaugurating the Durga Puja pandal of Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity in north Kolkata, Shah invoked Rabindranath Tagore's dream of a safe and prosperous Bengal, saying he wished for a government that could deliver that vision.

"I have prayed to Maa Durga that after this election, a government should be formed that can build a Sonar Bangla. Our Bengal should once again become safe, prosperous, peaceful and abundant. We should be able to build the Bengal that Kavi Guru Rabindranath Tagore envisioned," Shah said.

The senior BJP leader linked his call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's larger agenda.

"Through the development of Bengal, may we fulfil the dream of a developed India that Modiji has dreamt of," he added.

Later in the day, Shah inaugurated another puja pandal at the BJP-backed Paschim Banga Sanskriti Mancha in Salt Lake and paid tribute to 19th-century reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar on his 205th birth anniversary.

"Vidyasagar ji dedicated his entire life to education, to the Bengali language and to women's empowerment. On behalf of crores of BJP workers, I bow to him," Shah said.

He also expressed grief over the recent rain-related deaths in Kolkata, where at least 11 people lost their lives earlier this week following torrential downpour.

"At the beginning of the festivities, we experienced a very sad moment. More than 10 people lost their lives. I pay homage to all those who died," he said.

Hours later, TMC national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee launched a blistering rebuttal from Vidyasagar College, where he too paid homage to the reformer.

The TMC leader accused the Centre of depriving Bengal of Rs 2 lakh crore in dues and alleged that the BJP had consistently disrespected the state's icons.

"First, you should ask Amit Shah, when will you release our funds worth Rs 2 lakh crore that you owe us? If he says AITC is lying, then ask him to choose any channel of his choice and I will come for a debate with facts and figures," the TMC Lok Sabha leader told reporters.

Ridiculing Shah's 'Sonar Bangla' pitch, he said, "They talk of Sonar Bangla, but did they make Sonar Bihar? Were they able to make Sonar Gujarat, Maharashtra or UP? They are using our funds in all these BJP-ruled states." Banerjee reminded Shah of the 2019 vandalism of Vidyasagar's statue at the same college during a BJP rally, accusing the saffron party of trying to "impose North Indian culture" on Bengal.

"The broken statue is still kept inside. He should have paid his respects here," he quipped, expressing "sadness" that Shah had not visited either the college or Vidyasagar's ancestral house despite being in Kolkata.

"This is why we call them Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bengali). Our political battles will continue, but the way they insult Bengal's stalwarts cannot be forgotten," Banerjee said.

He further accused BJP leaders of repeatedly misrepresenting Bengal's history.

"They don't know where Rabindranath Tagore was born. They mispronounce Panchanan Barma. They are unaware of the contributions of Vidyasagar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, or Khudiram Bose. We do not need to learn about Bengal's culture from them," he asserted.

Taking another swipe, Banerjee recalled Shah's earlier claim that Durga Puja was not celebrated in Bengal.

"The person inaugurating a pandal today is the same person who said five years ago there are no Durga Pujas in Bengal. Today, that very festival has been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage site. No festival from BJP-ruled states has received such recognition," he said.

The TMC leader also flagged a Calcutta High Court order earlier in the day that set aside the deportation of six Bengali-speaking people, including a pregnant woman from Birbhum, calling it an example of how Bengalis were "targeted" under central directives.

"On Vidyasagar's birth anniversary, along with the slap that the High Court has delivered today, they must apologise first to the people of Bengal," he said.

The court directed the central government to ensure that Sonali Bibi, Sweety Bibi and four other deported family members, including three children, are brought back to India within a month. It also dismissed the Centre's plea to grant a temporary stay on the order.

Banerjee also defended the state government's handling of the torrential rain that caused waterlogging and casualties in Kolkata.

"If we get 300 mm rainfall in four hours, naturally there will be difficulties. But look at Bengal's resilience. In 48 hours, we have bounced back. Despite such rainfall, how is Shah moving freely from one place to another? If the city was under water, how is he roaming around? This shows that if the government is determined, it can work, and our government has done so," he maintained.

Senior TMC minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim accused the BJP of showing "fake affection" towards the people of West Bengal during the election season, while mistreating them in other parts of the country once polls are over.

"During election season, BJP leaders show love for Bengal, its culture and Bengali people. But when there are no elections, Bengalis are beaten up and harassed across the country and in states where the BJP is in power. BJP leaders are like migratory birds that come to Bengal only during elections," Hakim told reporters.

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