"Use kitchen tools", says Mamata to women if their names are struck in SIR process

Trinamool Congress leader and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a fierce attack on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in poll-bound West Bengal. Addressing a rally in Krishnagar, Banerjee issued a provocative call to the state’s women, urging them to be prepared to resist forcefully if their names are deleted during the ongoing voter list review.

The Chief Minister directly addressed the women, raising the question of police intimidation during the election: "You will snatch the rights of mothers and sisters in the name of SIR? They will bring police from Delhi during the election and intimidate mothers and sisters." She then asked the women to be ready with their domestic tools, saying, "Mothers and sisters, if your names are struck off, you have the tools, right? The tools you use during cooking. You have strength, right? You won't let it pass if your names are cut, right? The women will fight in the front, and the men will be behind them."

Banerjee framed the issue as a contest of power, stating she wants to see who is stronger: the women of Bengal or the BJP. She reiterated her commitment to secularism while accusing the BJP of attempting to divide people. She alleged that the BJP "tries to use money and bring people from other states to divide people" whenever an election approaches, linking the SIR exercise to the BJP's alleged divisive politics.