Mamata Banerjee on Thursday mounted a belligerent offensive on Narendra Modi, hours after he attacked her regime from a north Bengal rally, saying the Prime Minister was neither achha (good) nor sachcha (honest), advising him against provoking her.

The Bengal chief minister, who had conspicuously been specific in sparing Modi in her attacks on the BJP or the Centre since the general election, lambasted him and state leaders in the party for politicising Operation Sindoor, and for pledges to conduct "Operation Bengal" as a follow-up exercise.

The Trinamool Congress chairperson mocked him for going from claims of having been a tea-seller to becoming a sindoor (vermilion) salesman.

Mamata said she did not wish to go into the details right away, but even the naming of the post-Pahalgam operation was done with a political objective by the BJP-led Centre.

"We are not only shocked but also very saddened to hear this from our Prime Minister while our Opposition teams are representing the country around the world," Mamata said in response to questions from journalists on Modi's fulminations against the Trinamool government.

"In his presence, his (state) leaders are saying they will conduct Operation Bengal like Operation Sindoor. I challenge them, if they have the guts, go for elections tomorrow. We are ready. Bengal is ready. Please remember timing is a factor," added the chief minister at a news conference in Nabanna, the state secretariat, going on to wonder if the BJP would remain in power at the Centre by the time Assembly elections take place here.

"It means he equated Bengal with terrorists. He equated Bengal's soil with terrorists.... Bengal will never go into the hands of the BJP."

In a jibe at Modi over his claims of being a global leader, the Trinamool chief accused him of falling silent "in a second" if the US prompted him to do so — referring to US President Donald Trump's contentious claims (uncontested by the Centre) of making India commit to a "ceasefire" following escalation of conflicts with Pakistan after Operation Sindoor.

She pointed out that Trinamool's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was part of the Centre's diplomatic exercise to Southeast and East Asian nations, voicing unequivocal support for India in its fight against terror.

"At this time, Mr. Modiji, not as Prime Minister but as a BJP president, you are criticising those giving you full support and defending the country fiercely... you are spreading garbage of lies," said Mamata. "You said the Bengal government is nirmam (ruthless), when it is manobik (humane)."

She also took a dig at Modi's personal life, referring to his estranged wife.

"Remember that every woman has respect. They take sindoor from their husbands... Modiji is talking this way. You are not every woman's husband... why don't you give sindoor to your Missus first? I am sorry to say this, I shouldn't get into all this, but you are compelling us now to open our mouths," said Mamata.

Her counteroffensive prompted a bellicose return of fire, replete with a volley of personal attacks from state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar and the leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.

Responding to Modi's alleged five-fold sankat (crises) she subjected Bengal to, Mamata raised counter-questions on Manipur with regard to law and order; the track record of BJP-ruled states with reference to women's safety; paper leaks and 45 per cent unemployment in relation to hopelessness in youth; the BJP's alleged track record in terms of corruption; and the withholding of ₹1.75 lakh crore in central dues to Bengal regarding the charge of a selfish government.

She dismissed with "facts" about a dozen allegations from Modi, speaking in Bengali, Hindi, and English for most of the news conference, with the clear intent to reach a pan-India audience.

"Don’t compel me to open my mouth. If I open my mouth, the respect you have gathered through Indian representatives in foreign countries will be at stake," she said.

"We didn’t open our mouths till now because we are in favour of the country. But nothing can be one-sided. We are giving respect to our motherland, and you are disrespecting that. Shame on you, your government, and the BJP... you have hit the fight for our motherland. This wasn’t good," added Mamata. "(You) are neither achha nor sachcha, we know everything."

Demanding answers on inaction against communally prejudiced derogatory remarks from one BJP leader against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi to another claiming the women widowed in the Pahalgam terror attack lacked courage, Mamata held the saffron camp directly responsible for the communal unrest in Murshidabad and Malda, and the tumult in Sandeshkhali last year.

"You mentioned the court’s interventions... does that mean you get it done? Let the courts function impartially... it seems you give instruction to courts as well," said the chief minister.

She asked how the country benefited after over a decade of Modi as Prime Minister, accusing him of devoting his time to foreign trips, leaving India at the mercy of "acting Prime Minister" — referring to Union home minister Amit Shah — who allegedly bulldozed its federal structure.

"Publicity should be done for the armed forces. They are the real asset, you are the cassette – only busy campaigning.... Why couldn't you arrest the terrorists even after so long? You project yourself as such a big leader but when America intervenes, you become quiet in a second," said Mamata.