“Unholy Alliance…”: Mamata Banerjee says she is “enough” against Centre and 19 NDA states

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday struck a defiant note, declaring that she was single-handedly taking on what she described as the combined might of the Union government and 19 NDA-ruled states in the run-up to the Assembly elections. Addressing multiple rallies across the state, the Trinamool Congress supremo framed the contest as an unequal political battle, arguing that the Centre and its allies were working in tandem to unseat her government. Despite this, she insisted that public support remained firmly with her.

“A total of 19 states and the Centre have come together against me... I am enough. I will continue my fight for the common people. I don't think I am alone, as I have the blessings of the people,” she said. Banerjee also took direct aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent remark that he was effectively the BJP’s candidate in all 294 Assembly constituencies in Bengal. “If Modiji says he is the candidate in 294 seats, then he should resign as Prime Minister, and say he wants to be Bengal chief minister. Let him then seek votes for all the constituencies,” she said.

She sharpened her attack further, questioning the Prime Minister’s priorities. “Decide once and for all: do you want to govern the country or do you want to play candidate in every corner of Bengal? Do you want to be the nation's Prime Minister or the chief minister of Bengal?” she asked.

In a pointed remark invoking regional identity, Mamata Banerjee added, “You are an outsider here.... Bengal is not a stage for outsiders to parade around, project power, and pretend to represent every constituency while their own governance lies in ruins.”

Escalating her rhetoric, she said, “Those who cannot even manage Delhi have no moral right, no business, and no authority to try and control Bengal from afar. Anyone who casts a malicious eye on Bengal will be answered by its people, decisively, unitedly, and democratically.”

The Bengal Chief Minister also alleged that central institutions were being used to target her administration, particularly in relation to the ongoing revision of electoral rolls. Referring to the exercise that has reportedly led to the deletion of lakhs of voters, she claimed it was a deliberate attempt to tilt the electoral balance. “They have launched a dirty scam through this process,” she alleged, suggesting that the revision drive was aimed at engineering a demographic advantage for the BJP.

In a dramatic flourish, she challenged her opponents, saying, “Throw me in prison, I will get even more votes. Have me shot dead,” indicating that, in her view, even extreme measures would not weaken her party’s electoral prospects. She further alleged that officials had been systematically moved out of the state to facilitate electoral manipulation. “They have transferred everyone — IAS, IPS officers -- to other states so that nobody can catch them,” she said.

Mamata Banerjee also accused the BJP of attempting to influence the polls through illicit means. “Money, drugs, arms, and even (illegitimate) voters are being smuggled into Bengal from other states,” she claimed. “They are threatening to capture Bengal. We are ensuring Bengal stays free.”

Responding to remarks by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on extending “bulldozer action” to Bengal, Banerjee rejected the idea outright. “The CM of UP has said that bulldozer action will take place here as well. What do you mean? I don’t believe in bulldozer action. I believe in humanity. We respect all religions and celebrate every festival. Don’t teach us religion,” she said.

With polling scheduled for April 23 and 29, the contest for the 294-member Assembly is increasingly being cast by Mamata Banerjee as a broader battle to defend Bengal’s political and social autonomy against what she termed an “unholy alliance” of central forces.