CM Mamata announces 2 lakhs for SIR deaths, slams centre by "10,000 before vote, bulldozers later"

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stepped up today with major financial lifelines for two groups hit hard by tough times: families shattered by the voter list cleanup panic and migrant workers who fled mistreatment to come home. Speaking at Nabanna amid her unveiling of government's 15-year progress report card, she announced Rs 2 lakh each for the families of 39 victims who lost their lives to sheer fear—some by suicide, others to heart attacks—sparked by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive. That's on top of Rs 1 lakh for 13 hospitalized survivors, including overworked Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and similar aid already flowing to BLO families. "If we help accident victims, why not those dying from worry?" she asked reminding everyone that government, like a mother, must care for its own.
The SIR saga has gripped the state like a turmoil with whispers of deportation turning real lives upside down despite clear Election Commission notes that old 2002 voter lists won't boot anyone out—it's just a fix for errors. Yet panic spread fast: three BLOs took their lives under the crush of door-to-door checks as claims by the victims' family, and everyday people crumbled under the stress. Mamata's aid isn't just cash, "You're safe here," while she urges calm and slams misinformation as the real villain. It's a tough spot for her party too, with polls looming, but her quick response shows a leader who listens to the quiet cries across Kolkata streets to Bengal districts.

Shifting gears to another group, Mamata spotlighted the quiet heroes: 31.72 lakh migrant workers who rushed back from BJP-ruled states during tough times, only to face beatings, camps, and labels like "Bangladeshis." Her government didn't just open doors—they handed out Rs 5,000 each in emergency aid and hooked them up with jobs via Shramashree and Karmashree schemes until steady work kicked in. No gender gaps here; it's for everyone who needed it. She took a dig at the Centre too, mocking sudden Bihar's pre-poll "10,000 before vote, bulldozers later" versus Bengal's steady Rs 12,000 yearly through Lakshmir Bhandar. "We build year-round, not just for show," she roars.