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Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led Centre of withholding funds meant for West Bengal in the presence of Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal at an event in Jalpaiguri.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee addressing an event in Jalapaiguri in the presence of Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. (AITC/Facebook)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a dig at the Central government, accusing it of withholding funds for the state, during an event where Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal was present on the stage, underscoring tensions between the TMC and BJP before the Assembly elections.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new building of the Circuit Bench, Jalpaiguri of the Calcutta High Court, Mamata Banerjee said her government has spent over Rs 1,200 crores to set up 88 fast-track courts, out of which 52 are for women, seven POCSO courts, and 19 human rights courts.
Addressing the Union Minister, Banerjee told Meghwal to “please not mind” as she accused the Central government of stopping funds that are to be allocated to the state. “Though the government of India stopped these funds, we are still continuing,” she said. “We have given four acres of primary land to the Calcutta HC in Rajarhat, New Town, to set up a new building.”
Highlighting that the judiciary remains the sole custodian of the Indian Constitution, the West Bengal CM appealed to the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who was also on the stage, to ensure that the Constitution is protected from disaster. “Our democracy must be protected from disaster. Our safety, security, history, geography, and boundaries should be protected. The media should not go for media trials before finalising any case. There is a trend nowadays to malign people,” she said.
Banerjee also said some agencies are engaging in a deliberate attempt to defame others and appealed to the judiciary to save democracy, the people and the country.
‘Communal Poison’: TMC Hits Back At PM Modi
Banerjee’s remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fiery address in Malda, where he announced that it was time for the state to bring the BJP to power in the upcoming elections. He called Banerjee a “firewall” between the Centre’s welfare schemes and the state, and also accused the TMC of enabling illegal infiltrators.
“The money that the Centre sends for the poor is being looted by TMC leaders,” he said, adding that the Mamata Banerjee government had become “an enemy of mine and the people of Bengal”.
On the issue of infiltration in the state, which has become a political hot potato, the PM said it was important to drive them out. Without naming America, PM Modi said even developed countries are driving out illegal immigrants from their own countries. He asserted that the TMC’s “hooliganism” will come to an end in West Bengal and assured strict action against infiltration once the BJP comes to power.
Hitting back at the PM, the Trinamool Congress said his entire political enterprise runs on communal poison, daily hate broadcasts and polarisation, adding that he had no moral authority to lecture Bengal on harmony.
“Political Tourist @narendramodi spun a fantasy about “demographic imbalance” and “riots” in Bengal, as if the biggest riot-mongerer in Indian politics has any moral authority to lecture Bengal on harmony. Your entire political enterprise runs on communal poison, daily hate broadcasts, and polarisation. And now your party is planting divisive agents of chaos in Murshidabad to stoke unrest,” the TMC said on X.
Political Tourist @narendramodi spun a fantasy about “demographic imbalance” and “riots” in Bengal, as if the biggest riot-mongerer in Indian politics has any moral authority to lecture Bengal on harmony.Your entire political enterprise runs on communal poison, daily hate…
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) January 17, 2026
It also asked why the Election Commission had refused to release the list of foreigners through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) or why Union Home Minister Amit Shah and central agencies had failed to secure the borders. “Stop lying about Bengal to hide your own catastrophic failures,” it added.
Tensions between the TMC and BJP have escalated recently, since the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids at the I-PAC office, the organisation in charge of TMC’s political activities. The BJP has accused the ruling TMC of abuse of power and lawlessness in the state, while the TMC accused the Centre of misusing agencies to silence opposition parties.
Jalpaiguri, India, India
January 17, 2026, 17:38 IST
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