KALIMPONG: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma turned up the heat on West Bengal’s political landscape during a high-octane rally in Kalimpong on Saturday. Taking direct aim at TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, he accused her of fostering an environment ripe for illegal immigration from Bangladesh through appeasement tactics.
Sarma, speaking in support of BJP’s Bharat Chettri, a former national hockey captain contesting from the area, painted a grim picture of TMC’s rule. ‘It’s time to boot Mamata Didi out. She’s handed West Bengal on a platter to Bangladeshi Muslims. If we don’t act, they’ll claim the whole state,’ he warned the cheering crowd.
The BJP leader drew sharp Northeast-West Bengal parallels, crediting his government’s firm stance on border security. ‘In the Northeast, we’ve sealed the infiltration taps from Bangladesh. But in Bengal, Mamata encourages it with her cozy ties, urging them to vote TMC in exchange for land grabs. This betrays the nation,’ Sarma asserted.
Corruption allegations followed suit, with Sarma labeling TMC’s regime as one driven by ‘Money, Murder, and Mafia’ rather than its slogan of ‘Ma, Mati, Manush.’ He cited massive irregularities in teacher recruitments, contrasting it with Assam’s clean process for 200,000 educators.
Sarma lauded the Gorkha community’s bravery and committed to addressing the Gorkhaland demand constitutionally, akin to Bodoland’s model, should BJP gain power. His bold predictions—100 seats in Assam, 200 in Bengal—electrified the gathering at Pandara Maidan in Gorubathan block.
With West Bengal elections heating up, Sarma’s offensive signals BJP’s strategy to capitalize on security and governance failures, potentially reshaping voter sentiments in key hill districts.
