Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday chastised the saffron camp over a clutch of issues — from the “real” Mahakumbh casualty count to the Centre’s “stepmotherly” treatment of Bengal, from the "misuse" of central agencies to electoral “manipulation” — while reaffirming her position as a champion of vibrant federalism.

The chief minister, during an evening news conference following the presentation of the state budget by finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, appeared to be confrontational and pulled no punches in response to questions.

“How many committees were sent after the Mahakumbh (incident)? They will send committees here at the drop of a hat…. Even I am profusely saddened by (the stampede last month that killed at least 30), and we did our best to help. But what did they do exactly? So many people died… but they are not even releasing the real death toll,” she said, directly accusing the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh.

“Before creating such hype, one should ensure control. I do not go for a (holy) dip (at the Gangasagar) as it would cause inconvenience for the common people. But for the Mahakumbh, we saw VIP treatment…. Nobody knows the actual figures (death toll),” she added.

Mamata’s bellicosity suggested her keenness to put salt to the smarting Mahakumbh wound of hardline Hindutva poster boy Adityanath, as practically no proverbial stone was left unturned to ensure the use of the religious festival as a convenient platform to elevate his political position as heir apparent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Her nephew and heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee had, on January 31, asserted that the saffron ecosystem would have demanded President’s rule had a Mahakumbh stampede-like tragedy taken place in Bengal or some other state not ruled by the BJP. He had accused Adityanath of prioritising publicity over planning.

On Wednesday, it was Mamata's turn.

“The same happened (in Uttar Pradesh) during Covid-19. Bodies were sent floating down the rivers,” said Mamata, referring to the countless bodies of Covid-19 victims floating in the Ganga, sent from Uttar Pradesh, during the peak of the deadly second wave in India in 2021, amid monumental mismanagement of the pandemic by the BJP-led Centre and several state governments. The visuals had made headlines globally.

“The bodies of Bengal residents who died at Mahakumbh were sent back without proper documents. How will their families receive compensation? They are trying to hide it (the real numbers),” she added. “We conducted autopsies so that the families could get death certificates.”

Going on to accuse the Modi government of failing Bengal by blocking its legitimate dues, Mamata said her government has been trying its best to keep the state thriving despite that.

“The Centre makes promises during elections, but after elections, the promises become failures. We don’t do that. Now, we have only one tax, the Goods and Services Tax. We don’t get our (central) dues,” she said, referring to a total of over ₹1.8 lakh crore that her government claims as dues from the Centre, uncleared for years.

The Trinamool supremo then brought up JDU and Bihar, a sore spot for Team Modi, as it is forced in its weakened third term to depend on allies perceived as unreliable, who allegedly seek to be appeased to keep the NDA past the majority mark.

“I am happy that Bihar was promised benefits. But after the (Assembly) election there, that will become zero, because they (the BJP) are only election heroes,” said Mamata.

“They visit temples and glorify a particular religion during elections.... I respect all religions, but why should that mean issuing certificates (of religiosity) or deciding what people will eat or wear? These are all personal choices,” she added.

Mamata also tore into Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman over her uncharitable comments on Bengal in Parliament on Tuesday, accusing her of bias.

“They should first fix their own corruption…. They control the media and set the narrative. None of you (the media) stand up to speak the truth,” said a visibly displeased Mamata.

“Nirmala debi, think less about Bengal. Nirmala ji… you do nothing but deliver speeches…. You take the help of the Election Commission of India and send the ED and the CBI… that is what you do,” added Mamata, repeating her frequent allegation of the saffron camp’s misuse of central agencies to corner political opponents and wrongly influence electoral outcomes in states where the BJP is comparatively weak.

The chief minister, who has been accusing the EC of being compromised for a while now, aired her doubts regarding the Maharashtra elections.

“Why should electoral rolls be made online? How did the Maharashtra elector count increase by 40 lakh? They are trying the same in Bengal, attempting to add 20,000-30,000 outsiders for every (Assembly) seat to our electoral roll,” she said.

“We will not allow this… it will not happen in Bengal. Unlike the others, we have figured it out in good time. We have caught them at it,” added Mamata.

The Trinamool chief underscored the importance of a balanced Centre-state relationship for the nation to thrive.

“You (the Centre) bulldoze the federal structure…. This country cannot be strong without a strong federal structure,” she said.