'Use kitchen tools...': Mamata urges women to fight against SIR
What's the story
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged women to be prepared for action if their names are removed from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. She said that they should use kitchen tools to fight back. "If they cut your names, you have the tools in your house, right? The ones you use for cooking?" she said during a public event in Krishnanagar.
Political allegations
Banerjee accuses BJP of disenfranchising voters
Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to disenfranchise legitimate voters through SIR. She questioned why SIR wasn't being implemented in Assam, a BJP-ruled state. "They will snatch away the rights of mothers and sisters under the garb of SIR," she alleged, accusing the BJP of using fear tactics like bringing Delhi Police during elections to intimidate women. "Some BJP-backed people are being sent from Delhi....They are overseeing the work of district magistrates during SIR hearings," she claimed.
Secular stance
Banerjee criticizes Home Minister, defends secular politics
Banerjee also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling him "dangerous" and likening his gaze to that of "Duryodhan" and "Dushasan." She reiterated her commitment to secular politics and slammed the BJP for using money and outsiders to divide votes. The CM also condemned recent violence against food vendors at a Gita recital in Kolkata, asserting such intimidation wouldn't be tolerated in West Bengal.
CM
'Those shouting Gita should remember what Lord Krishna said'
"All of us do Gita Path at home. What was the need for a public meeting for this? Our gods reside in our hearts. Those who pray to Allah, do so in their hearts. During Ramzan and during Durga Puja, we pray together," she said. "Those who are shouting 'Gita, Gita' should remember what Lord Krishna said. He said Dharma means purity, humanity, and not violence, discrimination and division."
Regional concerns
Banerjee accuses BJP of targeting Bengalis
She stated that great men like Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose did not divide people. "Then who are you?" Banerjee also accused the Centre of targeting Bengalis, saying they have a home minister who labels all Bengalis as Bangladeshis and sends 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," she said.