West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday that the BJP “hit a ₹1000-crore deal’ to oust the Trinamool Congress from power in the state.
She made the claim, seemingly referring to a now-viral video in which Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir was allegedly heard saying that he was in touch with BJP leaders to oust her from power and accepting ₹200 million as advance payment to a ₹1000 million minority vote split deal.
However, PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Addressing a rally at Bankura’s Onda, Banerjee said that while some leaders dismissed the video as AI-generated, “the person seen in the clip himself acknowledged its authenticity”.
“If it’s created by an AI, then why is the person admitting to it? Why are you suddenly defending him?” supremo posse TMC.
Her remarks come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged at a rally in Murshidabad’s Jangipur that the TMC had resorted to creating fake videos using AI, sensing defeat in the upcoming elections.
Banerjee deflected the blow and said, “They hit a ₹1000 crore deal to oust TMC from power in West Bengal.”
The controversy deepened after Kabir gave contradictory statements about the video. He initially claimed it was AI, but later said only part of a longer video was circulating without any context and the full clip would be released soon.
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Banerjee also accused the BJP of trying to polarize voters along religious lines. “They mislead both Hindus and Muslims. Their character changes like a chameleon,” she said.
Addressing election rallies in Asansol, Paschim Bardhaman, Chhatna and Onda in Bankura district and Purba Bardhaman in Khandagosh, the TMC supremo said, “The BJP is threatening our candidates, including ministers, to seek their support if it does not reach the majority mark after the polls.”
The majority mark in West Bengal Assembly is 148. BJP won 77 seats in 2021 polls.
Banerjee stepped up her attack, alleging that the BJP was conspiring to curtail people’s rights, and warned that it may carry out delimitation and National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercises in the future.
Referring to the NRC exercise in Assam, she alleged that thousands of names were deleted in the northeastern state and warned that a similar process could be carried out in Bengal if the BJP wins.
Read also | Mamata Banerjee vs EC before polls: ‘ultimatum’, ‘lie’ and war of words
“To protect our rights, there is no other option but to vote for TMC,” she said.
“Take my word for it, the BJP is planning to do a delimitation exercise to divide West Bengal into three parts. Then, I don’t know, it can merge parts of West Bengal with Bihar or Odisha and torture Bengalis there,” she said.
Banerjee also alleged that the central forces deployed in the state for the upcoming polls “disrespected” women in the name of conducting searches. Any misconduct by the central forces should be immediately dealt with by an FIR, she told the gathering.
Her comments came in the backdrop of actor Sreemoyee Chattoraj, wife of outgoing TMC MLA Kanchan Mallick, who said on social media that she was harassed by central forces at a Kolkata check post and had her personal belongings, including underwear and sanitary pads, rummaged through.
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The chief minister also alleged that she was denied permission to hold a rally even though the venue was available, while fast-track permission was granted for PM Modi’s speech.
She also accused the BJP of bribing voters ahead of the elections and termed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as the country’s “biggest scam” in recent times.
“SIR is the biggest scam the country has seen in recent times. Everyone in the world knows your government will fall in 2026. After that we will repeal all the anti-people laws your government has brought,” she added.
“BJP bribes voters before the elections. But soon after the elections are over, they forget their promises. This was seen in the Bihar elections,” Banerjee said.
She also questioned the BJP’s poll promise to fill vacancies in civil service ministries and asked, “What happened to his (Modi’s) promise to provide two million jobs to the youth?”
The TMC chief further alleged that the BJP would try to rig the electoral process to win the elections and urged people to remain alert and aware of the voting machines.
Banerjee also alleged a “big conspiracy” by the BJP in the poll-bound state and claimed that the “operation” would begin from midnight without elaborating on the matter.
She warned people that there could be attempts to influence the voting process and counting.
“Be alert about voting machines. They are planning slow voting and slow counting. First they will show that BJP is winning, but don’t believe such claims. We will foil all their plans and win. No force can defeat us,” she said, expressing confidence that her party would retain power.
Banerjee also advised people to be careful about food and drink while attending political events.
Her advice came after an incident in Jhargram where at least 16 people, while returning from a political rally, allegedly fell ill after allegedly consuming pesticides, mistaking it for ORS. Several of them, who belonged to the Shabar community, were hospitalised, including the president of the local TMC booth.
“Be careful what you eat, especially during elections. Do not consume anything given by strangers. Always check before eating,” she said at another gathering in Chatna.
