Dilip Ghosh takes 'Sonia' jibe at Mamata for joining INDIA bloc rally against SIR

West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday criticised former chief minister Mamata Banerjee for attending the INDIA bloc rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Taking a dig at Mamata, he said that she was turning to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for leadership out of "utter helplessness". Ghosh claimed that Banerjee's party has lost political ground in its state and that she was seeking political relevance by aligning with the Congress leadership. "Earlier, she set out to become the top leader herself. Now, she has nothing left in her hands. Today, she isn't even an elected representative. That is why, out of utter helplessness, she goes around accepting Sonia ji as her leader again. Her party is finished today," news agency ANI reported, quoting Ghosh. He also hit out at Banerjee over her objections to the electoral process, saying political parties must respect the people's mandate. He alleged that she had no complaints about the Election Commission or democracy when her party was winning elections. "As long as she was winning, democracy was fine, and the Election Commission was fine. The moment she lost, everything went wrong. Keep faith in the people; the people decide who wins and who loses. One must accept the verdict of the public," he said. The minister further claimed that the removal of fake voters during the electoral roll revision had paved the way for free and fair elections in West Bengal. He alleged that Banerjee had benefited from such voters in previous elections. "Look, when the revision occurred, the fake voter base through which Mamata used to win was eliminated. Once they were separated, a free and fair election took place. A genuine election happened in Bengal after many years, and people are happy about it; change has arrived. No outsider can simply enter and become a citizen of this country or avail benefits here," he said. Ghosh also said the ruling government and party workers would organise rallies across the state to counter the Opposition's attempts to create unrest and communicate their position to the public. "It is also our responsibility to make people understand and deliver the right message. The people are nationalist, and the government is nationalist. No one will be permitted to create unrest in the country. We will also reach out to the people and hold rallies everywhere; this is just the beginning," he said.

Meanwhile, Ghosh said the state government was making arrangements to ensure that Deepavali, Kali Puja and Jagaddhatri Puja celebrations passed off peacefully. He said every cabinet minister had been assigned a district to oversee law and order during the festive season. Ghosh has been given responsibility for Purba Medinipur, also known as East Midnapore. "The government is keeping a close watch across all of West Bengal to ensure that the upcoming Deepavali, Kali Puja, and Jagaddhatri Puja are conducted smoothly and with enthusiasm. Every cabinet minister has been assigned the responsibility of overseeing law and order in one district. I have been given charge of Purba Medinipur (East Midnapore). I am also meeting with them to ensure all arrangements are in place and nothing goes wrong. This is the government's duty, and the public must cooperate," he said.

The minister also criticised the previous Trinamool Congress government over the functioning of development boards set up for marginalised communities, including the Matua community. He alleged that several boards formed during Banerjee's tenure had not received adequate funds or been given meaningful work. "Mamata Banerjee had formed several development boards in West Bengal: the Rajbanshi Board, the Matua Board, the Bhumij Adivasi Board, but gave neither funds nor work to anyone. She only played politics," he said. Ghosh said the Matua community, many of whose members migrated from Bangladesh, continued to face economic hardships and needed focused development measures. He said the board should be made functional and provided with funds.

"Now, for that community, especially the Matua community, most of whom came from Bangladesh, have numerous hardships and are poor. Their development must happen; therefore, the board must be actively functional for them, and funds must be provided, which our chief minister (Suvendu Adhikari) has initiated," he said.