'Did Centre execute Pahalgam? ' asks Mamata over 'infiltrators' remark; Terms Modi-Shah as Duryodhan and Dushyasan

Addressing a massive rally at Birsinghpur in Bengal's Bankura district, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP leadership, drawing parallels from the epic Mahabharata. With Union Home Minister Amit Shah currently on a three-day visit to the state, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo labeled Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "Dushyasan" and "Duryodhan." She remarked that like the antagonists of the epic, these leaders appear in Bengal only when elections are near, comparing Shah to a "disciple of Shakuni" who comes only to gather intelligence for political gain.

The political temperature rose further when Mamata Banerjee directly countered Amit Shah's allegations regarding terror networks operating in West Bengal. In a provocative rebuttal, she questioned the circumstances of the Pahalgam attack, asking if it was "executed by the Centre" to create a narrative. This sharp jab follows recent claims by the Home Ministry about security threats in the poll-bound state. Mamata asserted that the BJP uses the bogey of national security and central agencies to intimidate the opposition and the people of Bengal whenever an election approaches.

Taking aim at the Prime Minister’s recent visit on December 20 and Shah’s current organizational tour, Mamata claimed that the BJP’s "politics of fear" would not work in Bengal. She accused the duo of trying to destabilize the state's peaceful atmosphere for electoral dividends in the 2026 Assembly polls. The Chief Minister emphasized that the people of Bengal recognize these "seasonal politicians" who vanish after the voting concludes, only to return with new allegations of misgovernance and security lapses.