"No politics over Waqf in Bengal, everyone will be protected," says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her government would not allow any political agenda around Waqf in the state. Speaking at an event on the occasion of Navkar Mantra Diwas in Kolkata, she said, “Nothing will happen around Waqf in Bengal that promotes divisive politics, don’t worry.” She added, “There are 33 percent minorities in Bengal—should I drive them out? I cannot. It is my job to give protection to all.”

Banerjee stressed her commitment to equal respect for all religious communities. She said she regularly visits major temples across India and attends religious functions, including those of the Jain community. “As long as I am alive, I will come to Jain programmes,” she said. She also stated that Hindi is her second language and mentioned her understanding of Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, Assamese, Bihari, Santhali, Kannada, and Sanskrit.

Highlighting her government’s development efforts, Banerjee claimed that Bengal leads the country in MSMEs and has the highest GST collection but does not receive the expected funds from the Centre. She said the state currently runs between 89 and 94 welfare schemes. She also cited initiatives such as resolving a water issue at Parasnath temple in seven days and constructing a gate in Bhawanipur for the Punjabi community. She concluded with the statement, “Don’t worry, Didi is here. I will do everything.”