During a campaign rally in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, Union Home Minister Amit Shah threw jabs at Mamata Banerjee, likening her to a despotic character from Satyajit Ray’s iconic film ‘Hirak Rajar Deshe.’ Shah implied that if Ray were alive today, he might have depicted Banerjee’s alleged misrule in a sequel titled ‘Hirak Rani.’ This reference to Banerjee as ‘Hirak Rani’ underscores Shah’s criticism of her governance.
Shah’s remarks came in support of Locket Chatterjee, who is contesting against TMC’s Rachana Banerjee, a popular actor and television host, in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Shah accused the TMC of perpetuating violence, oppression, and appeasement in West Bengal.
The term ‘Hirak Rani’ has been previously used by Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP leader, to accuse Banerjee of corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
Shah also highlighted Bengal’s historical significance in India’s freedom struggle, lamenting the decline of nationalism due to the influence of Communists and the Trinamool Congress.
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee announced that the TMC would extend external support to the opposition INDIA alliance to form the central government, expressing confidence that the BJP’s claim of winning 400 seats would not materialize. She emphasized the need to ensure welfare schemes for the people of Bengal and pledged support to maintain their well-being.
Despite being part of the INDIA bloc, the TMC is contesting independently in Bengal, while the Congress and the Left Front have a seat-sharing arrangement, with the Left parties contesting 30 seats and the Congress 12 seats.
