Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday mocked the change in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan from “Jai Shri Ram” to “Jai Maa Kali” and “Jai Maa Durga” during his recent rally in Durgapur, claiming that the BJP would be chanting “Jai Bangla” once the results of the 2026 Assembly elections were out.

“You know that earlier, the BJP used to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’, but now they are saying ‘Jai Maa Kali’, they are chanting ‘Jai Maa Durga’. Mark my words — on this day, July 21, 2025 — they will chant ‘Jai Bangla’ after the 2026 Assembly elections,” said Abhishek, speaking as the penultimate speaker before his aunt, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, at the Martyrs’ Day rally in Esplanade here.

At the Durapur rally on July 18, Modi invoked Kali and Durga before beginning his speech to attack Trinamool, deviating from his usual “Jai Shri Ram” chant. Multiple BJP insiders described the shift as an attempt to connect with Bengal voters by invoking the deities most revered in the state.

Earlier, during the ascension ceremony of new BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, Goddess Kali of Kalighat took the centre stage. This raised speculation within BJP circles that the party was shifting its religious symbolism from Ram to Kali and other local deities to align with Bengal’s cultural sentiments ahead of the Assembly polls.

Abhishek said the shift in slogans signalled the victory of Trinamool and the culture of Bengal, claiming that people had forced the BJP to bow to Bengal’s religious traditions.

“This is the victory of the Trinamool Congress and the people of Bengal. The people (of Bengal) the BJP once sought to starve — now they (the BJP) bow before them and chant ‘Jai Maa Kali’ and ‘Jai Maa Durga’. This is the victory of 12 crore farmers, labourers, and youths. It is also a victory for Bengal’s culture and heritage,” Abhishek added in his continued attack on the BJP.

“Once the BJP used the income tax department to harass Durga Puja committees and tried to stop the celebrations, thereby insulting the festival. But now, on this land of Bengal, they have no choice but to stand and chant ‘Jai Maa Durga’, instead of ‘Jai Shri Ram’. In just 10 months, they will be shouting ‘Jai Bangla’,” said the chief minister’s nephew.

A Trinamool source said that at a time when the party was aggressively pushing the anti-Bengali narrative against the BJP, the Prime Minister’s slogan shift had provided a fresh opportunity to Trinamool to showcase how the BJP was purportedly trying to appease Bengal after depriving the state of central funds.

Taking it a step further, Abhishek forecasted that the BJP would not cross the 50-seat mark in the Assembly next year.

“Why is the BJP so irritated when someone speaks Bengali? Is it because they couldn’t win in Bengal? Last month, during a rally in Diamond Harbour, I said that the BJP wouldn’t cross 50 seats in Bengal. I don’t make political predictions often, but when I do, they are based on proper research and faith in the people,” said the Diamond Harbour MP.

Abhishek recalled that before the 2021 elections, Trinamool had coined the slogan “khela hobe (the game is on)”. “We have adopted a new slogan: ‘padma phool upre phela hobe (the BJP’s lotus symbol will be uprooted)’,” he added.

However, the Trinamool leader asked party workers not to fall into the trap of complacency, urging them to reach out to every household and expose the BJP’s alleged anti-Bengali actions.

“Don’t leave an inch of land to the BJP. Never assume that victory is guaranteed with self-satisfaction. We will fight under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership and follow the roadmap shown by her. But we must continue the fight on the ground, without leaving a single inch,” he said.

During a recent virtual meeting of the INDIA bloc, Abhishek raised concerns over the role of the two “Es” — the Enforcement Directorate and the Election Commission. He reiterated that message at the July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally to alert people to the BJP’s alleged misuse of those institutions for political gain.

“There are two Es — the Election Commission and the Enforcement Directorate. They are using one E to jail Opposition leaders and the other E to rob Opposition voters and ordinary citizens of their voting rights,” said the Diamond Harbour MP.