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Rekha Gupta accused Mamata Banerjee of blocking SIR to protect infiltrators and failing on women’s safety. TMC’s Shashi Panja countered, citing Delhi’s crime under Gupta’s rule.
Left: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta; Right:Senior TMC minister and national spokesperson Dr Shashi Panja
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of trying to block the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators.
Addressing the ‘Nari Sankalp Yatra’ organised by the BJP’s women’s wing at Science City auditorium in Kolkata on February 22, 2026, Gupta alleged that Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the process.
“She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls,”Gupta said.
She further claimed that people in West Bengal had decided to remove the Trinamool Congress (TMC) from power.
Allegations of Appeasement and Infiltration
The Delhi Chief Minister alleged that the TMC government’s “hands-off” and appeasement policies had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the State in recent years. According to her, this had affected basic facilities and rights of genuine citizens.
She claimed that access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and even voting rights had come under strain due to the alleged influx.
Gupta also alleged that appeasement politics had reached an “alarming level” under the current regime.
Women’s Safety Under Scanner
Raising concerns over women’s security, Gupta said women were not safe in the State despite having a woman Chief Minister. She referred to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital and alleged that the government had failed to respond effectively.
She also mentioned the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had become emboldened.
Criticising welfare schemes such as Kanyashree, she described them as being built on “false claims” and said women needed real security rather than promises.
Centre-State Tussle Over Schemes
Gupta accused the State government of blocking central welfare schemes. She alleged that funds worth “lakhs of crores of rupees” had not reached the poor because programmes like Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission were not implemented in West Bengal.
“You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit,” she said.
She also alleged that the education system had suffered, claiming several State-run schools had shut due to a shortage of teachers and that the government opposed the National Education Policy.
‘Now It Is Your Turn to Bid Farewell to Didi’
Drawing a comparison with Delhi, Gupta said, “People have already voted out ‘Bhaia’ [a reference to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal]. Now it is your turn to bid farewell to ‘Didi’.”
Calling upon women to stand up against what she termed “strong-arm tactics”, she urged them to show their strength, invoking Goddess Durga.
“Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity,” she added.
TMC Counters Rekha Gupta, Questions Delhi’s Women’s Safety And Governance
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta after her remarks targeting the West Bengal government, accusing her of ignoring serious issues in the national capital while criticising Bengal.
Senior TMC minister and national spokesperson Dr Shashi Panja said the Delhi Chief Minister delivered “big lectures” on women’s empowerment during her Kolkata visit, but the ground reality in Delhi paints a worrying picture.
“She came to Kolkata and gave long lectures on women’s empowerment. But the situation in Delhi is alarming. Recently, in Sarita Vihar, a 35-year-old woman and her teenage child were murdered and their bodies were stuffed inside a box. This is the condition of Delhi under her government. What is the state of women’s safety there?” Panja said.
She further claimed that in the first 15 days of January 2026 alone, 807 girls were reported missing in Delhi.
“You are the Chief Minister of Delhi. What steps have you taken? Instead of addressing your own failures, you are lecturing Bengal,” she added.
Defending her State, Panja asserted, “Women are safe here.”
The TMC leader also alleged that the BJP visits Bengal only during election time and questioned law and order in Delhi.
“If there was a blast in Delhi during your tenure, should that not be answered by the Home Minister?” she asked.
Raising the issue of pollution, Panja said, “People in Delhi are struggling to breathe, and you do not even understand what AQI means. Instead of fixing Delhi’s problems, you are trying to defame Bengal.”
February 22, 2026, 20:32 IST
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