Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Poila Baisakh addressed a high-voltage rally in North Bengal’s Darjeeling, projecting the region as a stronghold for the BJP while launching a sharp attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.
With an eye on the 2026 Assembly elections, Shah struck a confident note, recalling the BJP’s clean sweep in all five assembly seats of Darjeeling district in 2021 and asserting that the party is gearing up for another decisive victory.
Addressing the long-pending Gorkha demand, Shah said a BJP government in West Bengal would work towards a “permanent solution” within the ambit of the Constitution.
“If a BJP government is formed in Bengal, we will ensure a lasting resolution to the Gorkha issue in accordance with the Constitution. Our goal is to address the long-standing concerns of the people living in the hills,” he said.
He also alleged that under the current regime, thousands of Gorkhas have faced “false cases”, claiming a “police raj” has been established in the hills. Shah promised that such practices would end if the BJP comes to power.
Highlighting his outreach efforts, the Home Minister claimed he had convened three meetings over the past year and a half to discuss the Gorkha issue, but neither Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor any representative from the state government attended.
“Mamata didi or her representatives did not come to Delhi. I kept wondering, if you don’t come, then I will come to Bengal myself,” Shah remarked.
Sharpening his political attack, Shah alleged that the state government has deliberately kept the Gorkha issue unresolved.
He further claimed that if the BJP forms the government, infiltration would be stopped and what he termed “goonda raj”, as well as syndicate and mafia networks, would be dismantled.
“People of Darjeeling, it is certain that a BJP government will be formed in Bengal. With that, infiltration will end, and so will the rule of syndicates and mafias,” he said.
Shah also assured that cases filed against Gorkha demonstrators would be withdrawn if the BJP assumes power, reiterating that resolving the issue would be among the party’s top priorities after forming the government.
He added that the BJP aims to address the grievances of “patriotic Gorkha brothers” and ensure they receive what he described as their rightful entitlements.
