‘Won’t Allow BJP To Snatch Voting Rights, Will Fight Till End’: Mamata At EID Congregation In Kolkata

Her remarks come amid an intensifying political row over the electoral roll scrutiny exercise, which the TMC has repeatedly described as an attempt to remove names of genuine voters, particularly from minority-dominated areas, ahead of the assembly polls.

Banerjee warned that any move to disenfranchise voters in the name of revision or verification of electoral rolls would be resisted by her party. “Those who are targeting Bengal and trying to divide people should go to hell,” she said, drawing loud cheers from the gathering. The chief minister also invoked Bengal’s long tradition of communal harmony, saying the state would not allow forces trying to polarise society to succeed.

“Bengal believes in unity. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians — everyone lives together here. We will not allow anyone to break this social fabric,” she said. The annual Eid congregation at Red Road — one of the largest in eastern India — has often doubled as a political platform during election years, offering parties an opportunity to reach out to the state’s sizeable Muslim electorate, which constitutes around 30 per cent of the population.

This year’s event carries added political significance as the state heads towards a high-stakes assembly election, with the TMC seeking a fourth consecutive term while the BJP attempts to consolidate the gains it made in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 assembly elections.