He said, “In the coming elections, Bengal has to choose between fear and trust. For the last 15 years, the politics of fear and corruption have been going on. Mamata Banerjee has created a new way of politics by using lies and violence to move her politics forward.”Calling the document a “people’s chargesheet,” Shah added, “This chargesheet is a compilation of the dark deeds of the TMC government over 15 years. The basis of TMC coming to power is lies, fear and violence. Since 2011, BJP has been fighting against this, and I believe this time BJP will form the government in Bengal.”He also raised concerns over infiltration and national security, saying, “This election in Bengal is also very important for national security… Now only one route remains from where infiltrators enter the entire country, and that is Bengal.” He praised Adhikari’s outreach efforts, saying he had taken issues of “disorder, anarchy, economic distress and infiltration” to the people.Shah further accused the state government of failing to deliver on its promise of “Sonar Bangla”, alleging that West Bengal had become “a laboratory for corruption” and “a graveyard for industry”.

TMC hits back

Leaders of the Trinamool Congress responded with a counter “chargesheet”, escalating the political rhetoric.TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, “Today, a tainted “tadipar” jailbird flew into Bengal to present a chargesheet against the state, essentially branding every Bengali as criminal. As if repeatedly calling Bengalis “ghuspaithya” and our language “Bangladeshi” wasn’t enough. Just wait till 4th May. On that day, the real chargesheet will be presented, not by any Bohiragoto, but by the people of Bengal themselves.”He added, “A chargesheet against the Bangla-Birodhi Delhi Zamindars. A chargesheet against the deliberate withholding of Bengal’s rightful funds. A chargesheet against the insult of Bengal’s luminaries. A chargesheet against the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. A chargesheet against their criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise Bengal’s voters through SIR. A chargesheet against the communal poison they are trying to inject into Bengal’s veins.”Calling the election result the “ultimate chargesheet”, Banerjee said, “A chargesheet against years of NEGLECT, DISCRIMINATION, DIVISION, DEPRIVATION and HUMILIATION inflicted on our Maa, Mati, Manush… Bengal does not accept chargesheets from outsiders. Bengal issues them. And on 4th May, Bengal will present the mother of all chargesheets against BJP.”TMC MP Mahua Moitra accused Shah of insulting Bengalis, saying, “You have declared every Bengali as a criminal… first you insult us, then you deprive us, then you criminalise us, and then you harass us.”She also criticised central agencies, alleging, “The ED has filed nearly 6,000 cases, 98% against opposition leaders… conviction rate is just 0.42%.”In a sharp remark, she said, “Bengalis are a very proud race. We led the war for independence against the British. Who were the Gujaratis?… 68% of the names of the people who were killed and incarcerated in Kala Pani were Bengalis, followed by Punjabis. Can you name me one Gujarati who was there, apart from your big hero, Veer Savarkar, who only wanted to sit and write apology letters? Please let us know.”Senior TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay expressed confidence in the party’s prospects, saying, “The position that Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress have from the last three years, they will retain the first position again.”The party also accused the BJP of targeting Bengal itself, saying it “labels every Bengali as ‘Bangladeshi’ or ‘Ghuspaithiya’” and is “withholding Bengal’s rightful dues”.

BJP defends chargesheet

BJP leaders defended the move, saying it reflected public concerns.BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana said, “If intruders consume the resources of this country, where will the citizens of this country go? This is a very unfortunate situation. SIR, it was a very good step by the Election Commission, and this should happen… The citizens of the country have the right only over the resources of the country.”Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the TMC’s response showed “panic”, adding, “If the TMC releases a chargesheet after ours, it means there is panic among them regarding the truth in our chargesheet.”He also alleged manipulation of officials, stating, “The Election Commission has transferred almost 70 officers… Mamata Banerjee used to manage a lot of things through these officers. She is scared.”

Poll preparations

Election authorities say monitoring will be intensified during voting.Special Electoral Roll Observer Subrata Gupta said, “There will be complete webcasting in all 80,000 plus booths… each booth will be covered by one webcam inside and one outside, ensuring full transparency.”Voting in West Bengal is scheduled in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting set for May 4.