Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Kolkata on the occasion of Durga Puja on Friday sparked a political war of words, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) launching a scathing attack on the Centre. Within hours of Shah’s claim that the BJP would form a “golden government” in Bengal next year, TMC leaders hit back, accusing the ruling party at the Centre of pursuing an “anti-Bengali” policy.
The controversy erupted after the Calcutta High Court on Friday quashed the Centre’s decision to deport six people, including pregnant Sonali Bibi from Birbhum, to Bangladesh. The division bench of Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty and Justice Ritabratakumar Mitra directed that the six members of two families must be brought back to India within four weeks, stating that their Indian citizenship had been proven. The court also rejected the Centre’s plea to defer the order.
“The BJP government sent a pregnant mother to Bangladesh by branding her a migrant. Today, the court has exposed their anti-women, anti-Bengali mindset,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said at a press conference at Trinamool Bhavan. He further alleged that the BSF was targeting Bengali speakers and “selectively labeling them as Bangladeshis.”
TMC demanded a public apology from the Centre for the deportation. Taking a dig at Shah’s remarks, Ghosh added, “Standing in front of Maa Durga, Amit Shah is asking for a golden government. But Maa Durga will never allow a demon government in Bengal. With her blessings, Mamata Banerjee will return for a fourth term. BJP’s ‘solar government’ has no place here.”
The party also recalled the 2019 incident of vandalism at Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s bust, indirectly blaming BJP leader Shuvendu Adhikari, whom it accused of double standards for having once filed a complaint against Shah himself when he was with the TMC.
Meanwhile, the High Court strongly criticised the Centre’s deportation process. Observing that at least 30 days of detention and investigation are required by law, the bench asked why Sonali and her family were deported within just two days in June. “Will they be identified as Bangladeshis simply because they came from a Bengali slum?” Justice Chakraborty questioned during the hearing.
Sonali’s family, who had been living in Delhi’s Rohini area for nearly two decades as paper collectors and domestic workers, alleged they were taken away by Delhi Police in June and pushed across the border. On August 29, the Supreme Court directed the Calcutta High Court to hear her habeas corpus petition, leading to Friday’s ruling.
The political slugfest comes at a time when the BJP is trying to consolidate its position ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, while TMC is doubling down on its narrative of defending Bengal’s identity and people’s rights.
Also read: Calcutta HC orders closure of JU hostels during Puja vacation
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