At a public meeting in Krishnanagar, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee moved from anger to warning in a span of minutes, first condemning the assault on two food vendors at a Gita recital in Kolkata, then taking aim at Union home minister Amit Shah over the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.
Banerjee opened her address with a sharp rebuke of the violence at the ‘Paanch Lokkho Konthe Gita Paath’ event on December 7.
“All of them (accused) have been arrested. This is West Bengal, not Uttar Pradesh. They beat up patty sellers... we arrested everyone last night,” she said. She accused the BJP of attempting to import division into the state’s social fabric.
Her criticism extended to the political use of religious events.
“I do not believe in communal divisions. I want to walk with all religions. What is the need to hold a public meeting just to read the Gita? Those who pray to God or seek blessings from Allah do so in their hearts,” she said.
Taking a dig at “those invoking religious texts for political mobilisation”, she added, “I want to ask those who keep chanting 'Gita, Gita' -- what did Sri Krishna say about dharma? Dharma means to uphold, not to divide. They want to destroy West Bengal. They want to capture the state and stop people from speaking in Bengali. We all read and recite the Gita. What is the need to hold a meeting for that?”
Mamata Banerjee and Mahua Moitra in Krishnanagar on 11 December, 2025. (Sourced by The Telegraph Online)
Kolkata police arrested three men on Wednesday night following two complaints filed at Maidan police station. The vendors, from Topsia and Arambagh, had gone to the venue to sell chicken patties when they were allegedly attacked.
The accused allegedly threw away their stock and forced them to perform sit-ups. A video of the incident circulated widely on social media. Police said the arrests followed verification of footage and other evidence.
Banerjee then shifted to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, directing her criticism at Union home minister Amit Shah.
“The country's home minister is dangerous. You can see it in his eyes – it's terrifying. In one eye, you see 'Duryodhan', and in the other, 'Dushasan',” she said. She accused the BJP of weaponising the SIR process ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.
“If even a single eligible voter's name is struck off, I will sit on a dharna. There will be no detention camps in West Bengal. They are so hungry for votes that they are conducting the SIR just two months before elections,” she said, adding that she had not filled out her own enumeration form. “Do I now need to prove my citizenship to a party of rioters?”
Banerjee further accused the Centre of targeting Bengalis. “We have a (Union) home minister who can do anything to label all Bengalis as Bangladeshis and send them to detention camps. But we will not allow anyone to be driven out of West Bengal. We know very well how to bring someone back if they are forced out.”
She also alleged that the Election Commission was deploying officers aligned with the BJP during the revision process.
“Some BJP-backed people are being sent from Delhi to keep an eye on things in West Bengal. They are overseeing the work of district magistrates during SIR hearings,” she claimed.
