West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of overstepping his authority and “behaving like an acting Prime Minister.” Addressing reporters outside Kolkata airport after she visited the flood-affected areas of North Bengal, Banerjee cautioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be wary of Shah’s growing influence within the government, warning that his actions could eventually backfire.
Mamata did not hold back in her criticism, likening Shah to Mir Jafar — the 18th-century military general who betrayed Nawab Siraj ud Daulah in the historic Battle of Plassey, a move that paved the way for British colonial rule in India. “He is working like an acting PM. But the Prime Minister knows everything. I am sorry to say, we can only request the PM — don’t trust him blindly. One day, he will turn against you like a Mir Jafar. Be careful,” she said, issuing what appeared to be both a warning and a political jibe at the Union leadership.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief accused Shah of undermining democratic institutions, alleging that the Election Commission (EC) was acting under his direct influence. She claimed that the EC’s decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal was politically motivated and aimed at manipulating voter lists to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Whatever the Election Commission is doing in the name of implementing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, it is doing at the behest of Shah, who is behaving like an acting Prime Minister. Unfortunately, the PM is aware of all his deeds,” Banerjee remarked.
Banerjee questioned the timing and intent behind the EC’s exercise, arguing that it was insensitive and impractical to conduct such revisions during ongoing floods and the festival season. “Their leader comes to Bengal and says we shall cut off one lakh names from the voter list! Can the SIR be conducted in the middle of such a natural calamity and heavy rainfall? Is this the BJP party’s commission or a democratic institution for the people?” she asked, alleging that the move was part of Amit Shah’s “political game” to disenfranchise voters perceived to be sympathetic to the TMC.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tensions between the Centre and the West Bengal government, particularly over administrative control, electoral processes, and federal autonomy. Banerjee’s statement reflects a growing sense of mistrust within regional political circles toward what they describe as the BJP’s increasing centralization of power and attempts to influence state-level governance through bureaucratic and constitutional means.
Mamata’s “acting Prime Minister” remark adds to a long list of fiery exchanges between her and Amit Shah, who have frequently clashed over issues ranging from law and order in Bengal to election integrity and the implementation of central policies. Her warning to Prime Minister Modi — invoking the image of betrayal associated with Mir Jafar — is likely to further intensify political discourse, setting the stage for yet another round of confrontation between the ruling TMC in Bengal and the BJP-led government at the Centre.
