Don't behave like British: Mamata slams Centre over SIR, asserts commitment to secular politics

 State announces aid to families of 39 deceased, help for those who fell ill

PTI,  KOLKATA, DEC 3: ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday tore into the BJP-led Centre over the SIR of electoral rolls, accusing it of behaving like the British rulers by imposing directives on the state, and vowed that her government would neither allow detention camps nor practise communal politics. Mamata was addressing a programme at the state secretariat, Nabanna, in which she listed her government's work over the last 14-and-a-half years.

Claiming that the SIR process had been triggered at the behest of the BJP to "save its vote bank", Mamata alleged that the Centre was attempting to "disturb the states" under the guise of electoral reforms. "I do not run detention camps in Bengal. We do not torture people. We don't disturb others, why is the Centre disturbing the states?" she asked.

Mamata said the Union government must not act like the British rulers. "I want to tell the Centre: do not behave like the British and forcefully impose anything on us. If you have something to say, tell the state directly. We are committed to the Constitution," she said, adding: "I do not practise communal politics. I practise secular politics. For me, all religions are the same."

The remarks come at a time when political temperatures in West Bengal have risen sharply over the SIR, with the BJP and TMC locked in a bitter war of words. The SIR exercise, mandated by the Election Commission of India (ECI), aims at revising electoral rolls by verifying entries, identifying deceased or shifted voters, and ensuring updated records ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. However, the process has triggered protests by booth-level officers (BLOs) over workload, street demonstrations by political leaders, and mudslinging between the TMC and the BJP.

Mamata, also the TMC supremo, reiterated her long-standing charge that the BJP was attempting to misuse the ECI machinery to influence voter lists. 

The Chief Minister announced that her government will provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of 39 people who, she claimed, have died in the state due to "SIR-induced panic", including cases of suicide. Thirteen others who fell ill during the SIR exercise, including three booth-level officers (BLOs) allegedly burdened by "excessive workload", would also be given Rs 1 lakh each, she said.

The Chief Minister, citing government assessments, said the rollout of SIR on November 4 has triggered widespread fear and distress among sections of the public. "Till now, 39 ordinary citizens, including four BLOs, have died due to the SIR panic, including suicides. Their families will be provided financial assistance," she said after a review of the state's 14-year development record at the state secretariat, Nabanna.

Mamata added that 13 others were currently under treatment after collapsing or falling critically ill during enumeration-related duties. The state has also recorded allegations of deaths of BLOs owing to "work pressure". The Chief Minister said four such fatalities had been reported, and the government had already provided Rs 2 lakh each to the families of four officials.

The Chief Minister also sought to portray her government as the principal defender of constitutional values and federalism. "Bengal does not discriminate. We treat all communities equally. This is not a government that divides people. This is a government that protects everyone," she said, adding that the state would "resist any attempt" to unsettle the social fabric.

Over the past week, the CEO's office in Kolkata has witnessed scenes of chaos, with protesting BLOs engaging in altercations with the police over what they call "inhuman workload". The TMC has accused the BJP of trying to "manufacture tension" around the SIR to create a political narrative ahead of the polls.

Mamata also took an indirect swipe at the Centre's citizenship-related legislations, stating that Bengal would "never support anything that pushes people into detention camps or renders them stateless". "Let me make this clear: there will be no detention camp in Bengal. Nothing will be allowed that harms any community. We follow the path shown by the Constitution, not by divisive politics," she said.

Soon after the Chief Minister's remarks, the BJP hit back, accusing her of "peddling falsehoods" to divert attention from the TMC's alleged involvement in maintaining "ghost voters" in the electoral rolls. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said Banerjee was "scared" of a clean-up of the voter list.