Banerjee Accuses Modi Of Staging Jhalmuri Purchase

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of staging his recent 'jhalmuri' purchase during an election campaign stop in Jhargram, calling it a 'drama' orchestrated for cameras.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unscheduled stop to buy Bengal's favourite snack 'jhalmuri' during poll campaigning in Jhargram was just a "drama".

"How come cameras were present when he made the unscheduled stop? The entire episode was scripted," she alleged at a poll rally at Murarai assembly constituency in Birbhumm district.

The prime minister on Sunday posted a video on his official X account in which he was seen buying 'jhalmuri', a popular Bengali street food made of puffed rice, green chillies, and spices from a nondescript shop in Jhargram.

The PM, who was accompanied by his security personnel, paid the shopkeeper for the snack. When the man denied taking the money, the prime minister insisted that he accept it.

Banerjee Questions Modi's Spontaneity

Questioning the spontaneity of the entire episode, Banerjee said, "Cameras were placed there beforehand. The SPG (the force responsible for providing proximity security to the prime minister) had arranged for the whole thing."

"He was seen carrying a Rs 10 note in his pocket. Is it believable? It's all drama," she claimed.

Accusations of Aiding Minority Independents

Addressing the Murarai rally, the TMC supremo accused the BJP of secretly aiding "some traitors in fielding Independents from the minority community in different constituencies".

"This has happened in my area, Bhabanipur, as well. They have come from Murshidabad and Malda," she said. "They have commodified religion. I respect humanity. I believe in secularism. I respect every religion, caste, creed and language. But those who have betrayed their own people, betrayed our party, will be rejected by the people."

Voter Roll Concerns and Election Commission

On the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, she accused the Election Commission of "first having deleted lakhs of names and then having branded people as infiltrators as wished by the BJP".

"But in the wake of the Supreme Court directive and due to my fight, 32 lakh electors of the 60 lakh who had been placed under logical discrepancy, have been retained in the rolls," she said.

"Sooner or later, all legitimate voters will get re-enrolled in the voters' list. The BJP should remember the top court has ordered that pending cases will be cleared by the tribunals."

Women's Reservation Bill and TMC's Stance

About the Constitution amendment bill to implement women's quota in legislatures from 2029 getting derailed in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee said, "We have always fought for reservation for women. We don't need a bill to give women seats. We already have 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats and municipalities."

"In the Lok Sabha, our party (TMC) has 37 per cent women MPs. In the Rajya Sabha, our women's representation is 46 per cent. PM Modi should take lessons from us. They don't have the right to insult women. Since 1998, we have been fighting for this. I fought in the Lok Sabha for the Women's Reservation Bill.

"In the name of the women's reservation bill, they wanted to divide the country. They wanted to divide Bengal as well," she said.

Banerjee termed the BJP's failure in getting the bill passed the "start of PM Modi's fall". "After we win Bengal, we will dethrone the BJP in the Centre," she said.