Kolkata election rally: Amit Shah alleges infiltrator vote bank and slum growth; TMC rebuts

Speaking at an election rally in Dum Dum on Kolkata’s eastern fringes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that TMC and earlier Left Front rule led to slum growth and the settlement of “infiltrators” as a vote bank. The Trinamool Congress rejected the claims, accusing him of insulting the people of Bengal.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged at a BJP election rally that Kolkata had turned into a "city of slums\" and that infiltrators were being settled there. Shah blamed both the Mamata Banerjee government and the earlier Left Front rule. The Trinamool Congress responded on X, accusing Shah of insulting Kolkata and the people of West Bengal.

Speaking at Dum Dum on the eastern edge of Kolkata, Shah claimed the TMC was using infiltrators as a vote bank. Shah also urged voters to back the BJP in the West Bengal Assembly polls. The first phase of voting was scheduled for Thursday, and Shah said the state needed a change.

Amit Shah alleges infiltrators changed Kolkata

At the rally, Shah called on Bengal to \"free itself from infiltrators\" and said Kolkata’s past standing should return. \"The whole city, indeed the whole of Bengal, should vote to free itself from infiltrators. Vote to restore Kolkatas lost glory.\" Shah linked the issue to governance and said the city’s conditions had worsened.

Shah also accused the state leadership of allowing slums to spread while other parts of India improved. \"Under the rules of Didi and previous Communists, the entire city has today been turned into a kind of a city of slums Jhoparpatti ka Sheher,\" Shah alleged. Shah said the TMC did not support efforts to reduce slums.

Continuing the charge, Shah said Banerjee wanted to place infiltrators in such settlements for political benefit. \"There are many cities in the country that are becoming slum-free. But Didi Mamata Banerjee does not seem to feel any need for that. She only wants to settle infiltrators in the slums and turn them into her vote bank,\" Shah alleged.

Amit Shah claims BJP will defeat TMC

Shah said the BJP would remove the TMC from power and gave a detailed timeline for counting day. \"On May 4, counting will begin in the morning. At 8 am, the ballot boxes will start being opened. At 9 am, the first round; at 10 am, the second round; by 1 pm, the counting will be over -- and Didi, tata, goodbye. After a long time, good governance is going to begin in Bengal,\" he said.

TMC rebuts Amit Shah remarks on Kolkata

The TMC said Shah’s comment attacked the city’s identity and disrespected residents. \"Kolkata had long been celebrated as the City of Joy, the City of Love, the Cultural Capital of India and the Gateway of Eastern India. Today, Amit Shah made his contribution to that list. He called Kolkata a city of slums. To Amit Shah, the people who live in this city, who built it, who breathe life into it every single day, are slum-dwellers deserving nothing but his disdain. This is how the BJP sees Bengal. This is how they will treat Bengal if they ever gain a foothold here,\" the party claimed.

The ruling party also targeted the BJP leadership and used a sharp label in its criticism. It called them \"Bangla-birodhi anti-Bengal zamindars\" and asked, \"Can you imagine what comes next if these Bangla-birodhi Zamindars are allowed through the door?\" The post framed Shah’s words as an attack on Bengal’s pride and culture.

The exchange intensified a tense election campaign in West Bengal. The BJP has often alleged infiltration and appeasement politics under the TMC, which the ruling party has denied. The TMC has also accused the BJP of divisive language and of insulting Bengal’s identity during the run-up to the elections.

With inputs from PTI