BJP Criticises Mamata Banerjee Over Army Remarks, Calls It ‘Insult to Our Heroes’

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her recent remarks alleging political interference by an Indian Army officer, calling her statement “baseless” and an attempt to drag the armed forces into “vote-bank politics”.

Reacting to a video in which  Mamata Banerjee accused the Commandant of the Eastern Command headquarters at Fort William of acting at the behest of the BJP, the party shared the clip on its official social media handle and said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo had “reached a new low” by questioning the neutrality of the Army.

“Accusing a Commandant at Fort William of political interference is not just baseless - it’s an insult to our heroes”, the BJP said in its post, asserting that the Indian Army remains “the gold standard of neutrality”. The party alleged that Mamata’s remarks were aimed at diverting attention from what it claimed was increasing scrutiny over “illegal voters and fraudulent identity cards” in the state.

The BJP further accused the TMC of politicising constitutional and national institutions to retain power. “It seems the TMC knows that without their ‘manufactured’ vote bank, their foundation crumbles”, the party said, adding that the Chief Minister was attempting to distract the public by targeting the armed forces.

What Mamata Said 

The controversy stems from Banerjee’s comments in a recently surfaced video, where Mamata Banerjee questioned the Centre’s role in managing key security and enforcement agencies, saying responsibility for the borders lies with the Border Security Force (BSF), coal security with the CISF, and aviation, railways, customs and the CRPF are all under the control of the Central government. She added that even the Army functions under the Centre, a situation she said she had never witnessed being discussed in this manner before.

Mamata said she had received information that journalists were recently invited by an Army office for interactions, adding that she saw nothing wrong with it and maintained that she respects all security forces. “I respect them, I respect all the forces,” she said, while stressing that such engagements were not an issue for her.

However, the Chief Minister alleged that she had information suggesting that a Commandant posted at Fort William was involved in carrying out work related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and for the BJP, claiming that the officer was effectively working like a party office. Making an appeal, Banerjee urged that such actions should not take place.

She further called on authorities to focus on what she described as “real thieves and dacoits”, questioning how many cases had been registered against BJP members accused of murder, dacoity, rape and arson. Banerjee said this was the issue that needed attention rather than targeting others.

The issue has also reignited political tensions in West Bengal, with the BJP accusing the TMC of routinely dragging central institutions into political disputes, while the TMC maintains that it is raising concerns about alleged misuse of authority.

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