Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urges women to fight against SIR with kitchen tools

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a public meeting at Rash Mela Ground, in Cooch Behar, West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called upon women to fight back with kitchen tools if their name is struck off the voter list. While calling Union Home Minister Amit Shah "dangerous", she warned that she would sit on a dharna if even a single eligible voter's name was struck off from the list during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Banerjee also condemned the assault on two food vendors at a recent Gita recital in Kolkata, asserting that such acts of intimidation would not be tolerated in the state.

Launching a blistering attack on Shah, the chief minister said at a rally in Krishnanagar in Nadia district, "The country's home minister is dangerous. You can see it in his eyes – it's terrifying. In one eye, you see 'Duryodhan', and in the other, 'Dushasan'.

Alleging that the SIR was being used as a political weapon ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, Banerjee said, "If even a single eligible voter's name is struck off, I will sit on a dharna. There will be no detention camps in West Bengal. They are so hungry for votes that they are conducting the SIR just two months before elections."

Banerjee said that she herself had not filled out her enumeration form so far. "Do I now need to prove my citizenship to a party of rioters?" she said, in an apparent reference to BJP.

Urging women of the state to fight back if their names are struck off the voter list, she said, "You will snatch the rights of mothers and sisters in the name of SIR? They will bring police from Delhi during the election and intimidate mothers and sisters. Mothers and sisters, if your names are struck off, you have the tools, right? The tools you use during cooking. You have strength, right? You won't let it pass if your names are cut, right? The women will fight in the front, and the men will be behind them."

Accusing the Centre of targeting Bengalis, Banerjee said, "We have a (Union) home minister who can do anything to label all Bengalis as Bangladeshis and send them to detention camps. But we will not allow anyone to be driven out of West Bengal. We know very well how to bring someone back if they are forced out."

The chief minister further alleged that the Election Commission was deploying officers aligned with the BJP to influence the process. "Some BJP-backed people are being sent from Delhi to keep an eye on things in West Bengal. They are overseeing the work of district magistrates during SIR hearings," she claimed.

'Bengal is not UP, won't allow this here'

Talking about the alleged assault on non-veg food vendors at Gita recital, the West Bengal chief minister said her state was "not UP" and she wouldn't allow such things to happen in the state. "All of them (accused) have been arrested. This is West Bengal, not Uttar Pradesh. They beat up patty sellers... we arrested everyone last night," she added, accusing the BJP of trying to import a culture of communal division into the state.

Training her guns on the saffron party, Banerjee said, "I do not believe in communal divisions. I want to walk with all religions. What is the need to hold a public meeting just to read the Gita? Those who pray to God or seek blessings from Allah do so in their hearts."

Taking a dig at "those invoking religious texts for political mobilisation", she added, "I want to ask those who keep chanting 'Gita, Gita' -- what did Sri Krishna say about dharma? Dharma means to uphold, not to divide. They want to destroy West Bengal. They want to capture the state and stop people from speaking in Bengali. We all read and recite the Gita. What is the need to hold a meeting for that?"

STORY | Mamata calls Shah 'dangerous', warns of dharna if any eligible voter is deleted from list during SIR

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called Union Home Minister Amit Shah "dangerous", and warned that she would sit on a dharna if even a single… pic.twitter.com/vSBvZqDtAC — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 11, 2025

What happened at the Gita Paath event?

Kolkata Police had arrested three men on Wednesday night for allegedly assaulting two food vendors at the 'Paanch Lokkho Konthe Gita Paath' (Gita recitation in five lakh voices) at Brigade Parade Ground on December 7. The arrests were made on the basis of two complaints lodged at Maidan police station, a senior officer said.

The complainants, hailing from Topsia in Kolkata and Arambagh in Hooghly district, had gone to the venue to sell chicken patties when they were allegedly attacked. The accused reportedly threw away their stock and forced them to perform sit-ups while holding their ears. A video of the incident went viral on social media. Police said the arrests were made after verification of footage and other evidence.