Amit Shah Frames Bengal Polls As Referendum On Infiltration, Corruption, Women’s Safety

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday framed the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections as a broader referendum against illegal infiltration, corruption, and crimes against women, rather than merely a contest in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Addressing a campaign rally in Dum Dum (Uttar) Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, Shah said that voters participating in the second phase of polling on April 29 would not just be electing BJP candidates, but registering their opposition to these issues.

The Minister emphasised that every vote cast would symbolise resistance against infiltration, corruption, and atrocities against women.

In a notable shift in his campaign tone, Shah also targeted the Congress and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. He remarked that Gandhi’s association has led Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to make what he termed irrelevant statements.

Shah predicted poor electoral outcomes for Congress in multiple states, stating that while the party might open its account in West Bengal, it would struggle significantly in Assam and fail to cross double digits in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Shah accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of turning Kolkata into a ‘city of slums’ to shelter illegal infiltrators. He further alleged that women in areas like Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas face harassment from such infiltrators, claiming that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has remained silent due to political considerations.

Highlighting economic concerns, Shah said that industrial decline in West Bengal has accelerated under TMC rule, with around 6,000 industrial units either shutting down or relocating over the past 15 years.

The Minister attributed this to extortion networks allegedly run by TMC leaders, adding that economic revival through industrial rejuvenation would be a key priority if the BJP comes to power.