West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday rallied party workers with a combative call to “bowl out” political opponents in the 2026 Assembly elections, invoking cricketing metaphors and Bengali pride from the annual July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally, a major event on the Trinamool Congress calendar.
“Hit them for a six. This time, we must bowl them out,” Banerjee declared from the stage at Dharmatala, energizing the gathering of thousands of party workers and supporters who had converged since early morning.
Positioning herself as the captain leading from the front, Banerjee said, “I will take on ten people alone if I have to. I will not rest until we unseat the BJP from Delhi.” The TMC supremo’s address fused electoral strategy with emotional appeals, touching upon issues such as NRC, voter list revision, Bengali linguistic rights, and central deprivation. She set clear targets for the 2026 polls, signaling that the party would intensify its campaign to secure a larger majority. In a symbolic gesture, Banerjee handed over ₹2 lakh each to the families of two Bengal residents killed in the Poonch terror attack—Jhantu Ali Sheikh and Bitan Adhikari—demonstrating solidarity with martyred jawans.
Taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee criticized him for invoking “Jai Ma Durga” and “Jai Ma Kali” during his recent speech in Durgapur, calling it a superficial attempt to appeal to Bengali voters. “Reading two lines in Bengali from a teleprompter doesn’t make you Bengali. They have no understanding, no connection with our culture,” she said. Banerjee also condemned the Centre over the Citizenship Amendment Act and its implementation. “If this disastrous law is not withdrawn, we will gherao the Election Commission. We will not allow anyone to trample on Bengal or Bengalis,” she warned. On the issue of alleged harassment of Bengali speakers in BJP-ruled states, the Chief Minister targeted Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. “He can’t even manage Assam properly, and he’s meddling in Bengal. If needed, we’ll all go and see how many people he dares to put in detention camps,” Banerjee said, directing her party MP Sushmita Dev to lead resistance efforts.
Banerjee also reflected on her own political journey and past struggles, recalling a near-fatal assault during a protest at Hazra. “My head was shattered. I survived only because I walk and exercise. I’ve been fighting ever since,” she said. With her fiery address, Mamata Banerjee made it clear that the road to 2026 has already begun—and the TMC, under her leadership, intends to play an aggressive innings.
