Amit Shah, the union minister and key strategist for the BJP, said in Kolkata today that his party would form the government in West Bengal by 2026.
“Mamata didi celebrated when our seats were reduced in the Lok Sabha polls. But remember, we are a party that once held only two seats and successfully worked to remove Article 370,” he said. Shah expressed apprehensions over what he termed state-sponsored infiltration in Bengal and asserted that the BJP must be elected in 2026 to resolve these issues. “Instead of Rabindrasangeet, the sound of bombs is echoing in Bengal today,” he said, continuing to underline that a change must be brought about.
Shah’s comments came on a day when discontent was brewing in Kolkata over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College on August 9, which saw protests-civil society coming out to support junior doctors in demanding justice against corruption and violence against women.
While the protests were recently called off after a meeting between the doctors and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, tensions in the state remain high. During these protests, the BJP was mainly kept in the backseat and framed as apolitical. However, speculation is that the party is keen to leverage the unrest to challenge the ruling Trinamool Congress.
In his speech, Shah also echoed perceived law and order issues, quoting actor-politician Mithun Chakraborty, who said, “The cadres of the ruling Trinamool Congress stop BJP supporters from voting.” All he did was explain in detail how the BJP is trying to use public sentiment as a weapon while the political landscape in Bengal unfolds.
