Mamata says 'Bengal borders Sri Lanka!', BJP calls it Didi's geography lesson

A political firestorm broke out on Tuesday after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a significant geography slip during a fiery address on communal unrest. While addressing a gathering of Muslim clerics in Kolkata, Banerjee claimed that Bengal shares borders with “Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka” — an assertion quickly mocked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sri Lanka, an island nation located over 2,300 kilometers from Bengal, does not share a land border with any Indian state. The BJP wasted no time in turning the slip-up into a political jibe, calling it a reflection of Banerjee's “fantasy-driven governance.”

BJP Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar posted on X, “According to geography expert & Failed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, the state now shares a border with Sri Lanka! Move over, maps — Didi's imagination has redrawn South Asia!” He went further to criticize her leadership, saying “facts are optional” in her administration, and linked the gaffe to larger governance issues such as the ongoing teacher recruitment scam in the state.

The speech, originally aimed at addressing the recent Waqf-linked violence in Murshidabad, quickly became the centre of ridicule. Mamata had blamed the BJP-led Centre and the Border Security Force (BSF) for failing to prevent cross-border infiltration, claiming foreign actors were stoking unrest in Bengal.

She directly challenged the Centre’s narrative that elements from Bangladesh were involved in the violence, stating, “If this is true, the Centre is responsible. The BSF takes care of the border. Why did BSF not avert such a crisis?”

Banerjee also defended her party, the Trinamool Congress, against allegations of inciting violence, saying Trinamool leaders’ homes were also attacked. Urging clerics and Muslim leaders to avoid falling into the BJP’s “trap,” she appealed for peaceful protests.

The geography gaffe, however, has drawn more attention than the core issue of communal unrest. The BJP sees it as an opportunity to question her credibility and mock what it calls a pattern of “blunder-ridden” leadership.