Mamata Banerjee on Friday suggested that Narendra Modi had already imposed President’s rule in Bengal through the back door as the BJP was purportedly afraid of losing the Assembly polls.

The Bengal chief minister said the backdoor manoeuvres were a prelude to a nationwide gerrymandering to ensure that the BJP did not lose power — a process she claimed would include phases such as delimitation, the National Register of Citizens and the census.

“The Modi government will not win again... so the plan is to exclude more through delimitation once the (Assembly) polls are over,” she alleged.

“They have already imposed President’s rule (in Bengal), they simply aren’t saying it out loud,” Mamata said in the wake of the widespread administrative overhaul in Bengal by the Election Commission with the announcement of the Assembly polls.

The Trinamool Congress chairperson was speaking at the launch of the party’s election manifesto. She alleged that the Prime Minister had bypassed constitutional propriety to destabilise her government through administrative interference and institutional coercion carried out by the “compromised” EC.

“Shame! Modiji is having to get elections conducted in Bengal under President’s rule. Such great fear of the people of Bengal?” she asked, seated between her nephew and heir apparent, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and other
senior leaders.

In the manifesto, Trinamool promised an agri-budget of ₹30,000 crore, Duare Chikitsa healthcare camps organised at the block and ward levels to ensure doorstep delivery, and expansion of the safety net for senior citizens.

Mamata alleged that the systematic removal of bureaucrats by the EC was a deliberate attempt to engineer a “major disaster”.

Regarding the contentious special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list, the chief minister claimed to have credible information from reliable sources that approximately 10 lakh of the 22.6 lakh closed “under adjudication” cases would be summarily excluded. The highest number of removals will be in Malda, Murshidabad, and North Dinajpur — three districts dominated
by Muslims.

“It is not just one particular community,” she said, broadening the stakes to include Hindus as well, such as Matuas and Rajbangshis.
“Who knows if this work will at all be completed before the elections,” she added.

Mamata reiterated her claim that the BJP was drafting a plan to partition the state.

“They have a plan to hive off north Bengal and merge it with parts of Bihar to create a new state entity. That is part of the regime’s endgame... having purchased everything, including the Constitution and the law,” said the
chief minister.

“No other party can save Bengal or keep it alive (except Trinamool).... Do not heed Modiji’s speeches. Instead of Sabka Vikas (progress for everyone), they have caused Sabka Vinash (ruin for everyone). Instead of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (save the girlchild, educate the girlchild), they are carrying out Beti, Mahila, Kisan hatao aur BJP gunda bachao (get rid of the girlchild, the woman, the farmer, and save the BJP goon),” she added.

Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said Mamata repeatedly talked about President’s rule because she wanted to be a martyr.

“She understands that the ground is slipping and wants to be thrown out under Article 356 so that she can go and claim her government has been undemocratically toppled,” he said.