Kolkata, April 2026 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he would address the nation with \u201canother web of lies.\u201d Her remarks came just hours before the Prime Minister\u2019s scheduled address to the country at 8:30 pm, where he is expected to speak on the controversial 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill related to women\u2019s reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at a public rally, Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misleading the nation and using divisive tactics for political gain. \u201cToday, Prime Minister Modi will once again address the country with another web of lies. Under BJP rule, those who once incited riots have now become leaders of the nation,\u201d she said, intensifying the political confrontation between the ruling party and the \u0935\u093f\u092a\u0915\u094d\u0937.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The controversy stems from the failure of the Women\u2019s Reservation Bill to pass in the Lok Sabha. The proposed amendment, which aims to reserve seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies, could not secure the required majority after the opposition \u2018INDIA\u2019 bloc refused to support provisions linked to the delimitation process. During the voting, 298 members supported the bill while 230 opposed it, falling short of the threshold required for passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banerjee strongly criticized the bill, claiming that it was not genuinely intended to empower women but rather to serve as a political tool. \u201cThis is not a women\u2019s bill. I have been fighting for women\u2019s reservation since 1998. The Modi government has spread misinformation through the media. This bill has been introduced to divide the country\u2014especially to weaken Bengal and other non-BJP states,\u201d she asserted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A key point of contention raised by Banerjee was the alleged plan by the BJP to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 through the delimitation exercise. According to her, this move is designed to provide the ruling party with an electoral advantage. \u201cThey know they cannot win a majority with 543 seats, so they are playing a game to expand it to 850. That is why, despite being busy with election campaigning, I ensured that all 21 of my MPs were present in Parliament,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Echoing similar sentiments, senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Bratya Basu also criticized Prime Minister Modi\u2019s style of communication. He alleged that the Prime Minister prefers one-way communication rather than engaging in dialogue with the public or the press. \u201cHe only delivers monologues, not dialogues. In the last 15 years, he has not held a single press conference. People are no longer interested in what he thinks or says. This has now become evident to everyone,\u201d Basu remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the bill\u2019s failure in the Lok Sabha, the Women\u2019s Reservation Act, 2023 remains part of the legal framework. However, its implementation is contingent upon future census data and the completion of the delimitation process. The government has indicated that the reservation for women could come into effect from the 2029 general elections, but opposition parties have raised concerns about the delay and the conditions attached to its rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amid the ongoing election campaign, Banerjee also accused the BJP of misusing central agencies such as the Income Tax (IT) Department to intimidate opposition leaders and disrupt their campaigns. She alleged that raids on TMC leaders and offices were politically motivated. \u201cThe BJP is sending agencies to threaten people. They are conducting raids on party offices. If they have the courage, they should fight me directly,\u201d she challenged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing a rally in Panchla in Howrah district, Banerjee took a swipe at the BJP\u2019s political standing, claiming that the party no longer holds real power. \u201cThey do not have a majority. They are in power with the support of others. Once their downfall begins, everything will collapse,\u201d she said, predicting a decline in the party\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She further alleged that individuals from BJP-ruled states were being brought into West Bengal during the elections to exert pressure on the administration and target TMC workers. According to her, instructions were being given to arrest Trinamool agents and carry out raids without proper legal grounds. \u201cThey are saying, \u2018arrest the agents, conduct raids.\u2019 But I want to tell them\u2014we know everything about them: their names, addresses, and where they work,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banerjee also referred to the recent Income Tax raids conducted on the residence and office of TMC candidate Debashis Kumar from Rasbehari. She described the action as a politically motivated attempt to hinder election campaigning. \u201cMy candidate was not allowed to campaign the entire day. Is this not illegal interference before elections?\u201d she questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Issuing a stern message to administrative officials, the Chief Minister urged them to remain neutral and not succumb to political pressure. \u201cDo not become parrots of the BJP. Everyone in the administration must work impartially and without discrimination,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banerjee also advised her party leaders and workers to stay alert and prepared for any disruptions during the election process. She instructed them to maintain backup teams of polling agents to ensure that voting is not affected under any circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, the failure of the Women\u2019s Reservation Bill to pass in the Lok Sabha has triggered a major political showdown between the ruling party and the opposition. While the central government continues to present the bill as a historic step toward women\u2019s empowerment, opposition leaders view it as a strategic move aimed at altering the political balance through delimitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Prime Minister Modi prepares to address the nation, the issue has already ignited intense debate across the political spectrum. The developments are likely to have far-reaching implications, particularly in the run-up to the 2029 general elections, where the question of women\u2019s representation and electoral restructuring is expected to play a crucial role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kolkata, April 2026 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he would address the nation with \u201canother web of lies.\u201d Her remarks came just hours before the Prime Minister\u2019s scheduled address to the country at 8:30 pm, where he is expected to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":115774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[143],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-115773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state","tag-state"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115775,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115773\/revisions\/115775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/115774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115773"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=115773"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=115773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}