Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a fierce attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Central Government, and the Election Commission on Friday, alleging that national icons are being disrespected and the country’s democratic values are under assault.
Speaking at a public event in Kolkata’s Maidan on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Banerjee claimed that even the legendary leader would have been asked to prove his citizenship under the current electoral revision process, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
“The Chief Minister’s remarks centred on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls currently underway in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. She alleged that the process has created widespread anxiety and claimed it has resulted in deaths across the state.
“If Subhas Bose were alive today, he would have been summoned for (SIR) hearing as well, citing logistical discrepancies, and asked to prove if he is Indian,” Banerjee said at the Red Road event.
She pointed out that Chandra Kumar Bose, Netaji’s great-grandnephew, has already been summoned by the Election Commission under the SIR process.
The Chief Minister claimed that more than 110 people have died due to anxiety related to the voter roll revision. “More than 110 people have already died; every day, three to four people are dying out of SIR anxiety,” she stated, holding the Election Commission and Central Government responsible for these deaths.
Banerjee’s speech highlighted a broader pattern of disrespect toward India’s historical figures and constitutional values.
“There is an attempt to distort India’s history. Saints and sages are being insulted, be it Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, or Babasaheb Ambedkar. There is intolerance, disdainful remarks, ungratefulness, and disrespect towards them and the language. Will Bengal accept this?” she asked the gathering. The Chief Minister questioned why Netaji’s birth anniversary has not been declared a national holiday despite his significant contributions to India’s freedom struggle.