West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee speaks during a party meeting at Barzor, Bankura on September 30, 2025 | Photo credit: ANI
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (Dec 30, 2025) refuted allegations of illegal infiltration by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and raised questions over terror attacks in Kashmir and Delhi and demanded the Home Minister’s resignation.
“They (BJP) say infiltrators are only in Bengal and none in Kashmir. Then who carried out the Pahalgam attack? You say infiltrators exist only in Bengal, then what happened in Delhi? Who was responsible for the blast?” the chief minister said at a rally in Bankura district. “The interior minister must resign. If not, people will remove you from power,” she said.
At a press conference in Kolkata, Mr Shah said the West Bengal government under Ms Banerjee was “allowing infiltration as a policy to strengthen its voter bank”. The home minister also accused the state government of not providing land for fencing along the Bangladesh border.
Allotment of land
The chief minister also refuted allegations of non-allocation of land to central government agencies and recalled various projects for which the West Bengal government had allotted land to central agencies. “I have given enough land but the work on those areas where the land has been allotted has not been completed yet,” said Ms. Banerjee.
“Now they are saying that land was never given. Was land not given in Raniganj, Jamuria, Bankura? Was land not given for Bongaon–Petrapole? For Andal Airport? So who built the Tarakeshwar–Bishnupur railway line? Was it done without Mamata Banerjee giving land? If land was not given, from where did ECL (Eastern) Coalfields Limited get the land?” she asked.
Ms. Banerjee also mocked the Home Secretary’s claim that the BJP would get a two-thirds majority in West Bengal in the next assembly elections. “Earlier they said they will cross 200 seats. Now they are trying SIR (special intensive revision),” the chief minister said.
The Chief Minister said that around 58 to 60 people died during the SIR process and added that a memorial would be set up in each district for those who died during the ongoing SIR.
Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee also refuted the Home Minister’s allegation of infiltration and said he (Mr Shah) must take responsibility if infiltration takes place across the international border. Mr Banerjee said the Home Minister should listen to what his party MPs Jagannath Sarkar and Ananta Maharaj had to say about the infiltration.
At the press conference, Mr. Shah also targeted Mr. Banerjee, who is the chief minister’s nephew. “The Mamata Banerjee government supported the syndicate and restricted the money and only the ‘Bhaipo’ (nephew) has the right to earn here and no one else.” said Mr. Shah.
Published – 30 Dec 2025 21:48 IST
