New immigration rules a poll gimmick: Mamata
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee criticized the Centre's recent order on migrant workers as an election ploy, amid assembly disruptions by BJP legislators.
Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday attacked the Centre over its recent order under the Foreigners Act, calling it an election gimmick, as the state assembly adopted a resolution condemning alleged detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-led states on suspicion of being Bangladeshi immigrants.
On September 1, the Centre issued a notification under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, permitting minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India before December 31, 2024, to stay without valid travel documents.
“These rules were neither discussed in Parliament nor sent to the Standing Committee or the Select Committee. How can the BJP decide such important matters unilaterally?” Banerjee questioned during a debate on the resolution.
“Are you going to include these people in the voter list for the 2026 Bengal assembly polls? Even then you won’t win. People from only our party and other parties will be here in the assembly. BJP won’t exist,” the TMC chief said.
As Opposition BJP legislators threw paper and attempted to disrupt her address, prompting Speaker Biman Banerjee to suspend four BJP MLAs, including its chief whip Shankar Ghosh, the CM said: “BJP is anti-Bengali. They are shouting and hurling papers. This is undemocratic, unparliamentary and illegal. But they cannot silence me.”
BJP MLAs raised slogans calling the CM a “thief”, to which Banerjee retorted by saying: “Modi is the biggest thief. Modi thief, Amit Shah thief, BJP thief.”
{{/usCountry}}BJP MLAs raised slogans calling the CM a “thief”, to which Banerjee retorted by saying: “Modi is the biggest thief. Modi thief, Amit Shah thief, BJP thief.”
{{/usCountry}}BJP’s Mihir Goswami and Shankar Ghosh were allegedly injured when marshals forcibly removed them from the House. Outside the assembly building, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari told reporters that the CM has “insulted” all people with Modi surname. “They must file criminal charges against her. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi faced disciplinary action in Parliament for doing the same,” the LoP in the assembly added.
{{/usCountry}}BJP’s Mihir Goswami and Shankar Ghosh were allegedly injured when marshals forcibly removed them from the House. Outside the assembly building, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari told reporters that the CM has “insulted” all people with Modi surname. “They must file criminal charges against her. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi faced disciplinary action in Parliament for doing the same,” the LoP in the assembly added.
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