Mamata Banerjee and Amit Shah (R)

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a pointed attack on West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, accusing her government of not allotting land to establish border fence on border with neighbouring Bangladesh, enabling infiltration through the state’s eastern borders. He reiterated that “BJP will stop infiltration” as West Bengal heads toward the 2026 assembly elections, and further alleged that the Mamata government is “not allotting land to establish border fencing with Bangladesh.”Emphasising the broader implications, Shah said infiltration had become a national security concern rather than an issue limited to the state. He said, “Infiltration happening through Bengal borders is not an issue limited only to Bengal, it is now a matter of national security. We have to save the country’s culture. If we have to ensure the safety of country, we need a patriotic government here which will seal the borders. Mamata Banerjee can’t do this, only BJP can.”Doubling down on his criticism, Shah added, “It is the West Bengal government which is not allotting land to establish border fencing along Bangladesh…Can the CM answer why infiltration has stopped at the borders of Tripura, Assam, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kashmir and Gujarat? It is because, in West Bengal, infiltration occurs under your watch to bring about demographic change and strengthen your votes…The next election will be fought on the issues of stopping infiltration and removing infiltrators from here...Infiltration happening from the Bengal border is an issue of national security.”In Kolkata, Shah also accused the TMC of having “surpassed the Left in establishing politics of fear and violence.”On women’s safety, he said, “Women’s security is a big issue. They (TMC) say women shouldn’t go out after 7 PM. Are we living in the Mughal era? It’s the responsibility of the government to provide security whenever it’s needed.”Targeting TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and CM Mamata, Shah said, “Here only ‘Bhaipo’ has the right to earn, and no one else.”Expressing confidence in the BJP’s performance in the upcoming polls, Shah said, “In 2026, BJP will form government with two-third majority in West Bengal.”He also cited the BJP’s electoral trajectory in the state, saying, “In the 2014 elections, we got 17% of the votes and two seats…in the 2021 Assembly elections, we got 38% of the votes and 77 seats…the party that had only three seats secured 77 seats in a span of just 5 years…the Congress…reached absolute zero…the Communist alliance…could not get even a single seat, and we became the main opposition.”Shah further appealed to voters, saying the people of Bengal had given Congress, the Left, and TMC opportunities to govern and that it was time to “give BJP a chance.” He also assured the Matua community that they “have no reason to fear,” adding that the BJP “will accommodate all religiously persecuted refugees in India.”