TMC, BJP Accuse Each Other of Hate Speech; Lodge Complaints with EC
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress and BJP have moved the Election Commission against each other over alleged threats, hate speeches and abusive remarks, just weeks before the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.
In the middle of the row is BJP’s Panihati candidate, mother of RG Kar hospital doctor who was raped and murdered last year, and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, whose provocative comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah triggered a counter complaint from the saffron camp.
In his complaint to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday, the TMC MP accused the BJP candidate of making “highly objectionable, threatening and derogatory” remarks against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Serampore MP also alleged that the BJP’s Panihati candidate made statements that threatened his life.
Calling the comments “deeply disturbing” and a danger to democratic values, Kalyan Banerjee urged the poll panel to intervene immediately. In his letter, the TMC MP said, “Using abusive language and making threats during the election process undermines the principles of free and fair elections and creates an atmosphere of fear and hostility among the public.” he said.
Seeking exemplary action, he requested the commission to take cognition of the matter, order a prompt and impartial inquiry, initiate strict legal and disciplinary action against the BJP candidate and ensure that such violations are not repeated.
The TMC has sought to portray the issue as part of what it calls the BJP’s strategy to incorporate the language of confrontation and intimidation into Bengal’s election campaign.
While Kalyan Banerjee mobilized the Election Commission, the BJP within hours filed a complaint before the West Bengal chief election officer, accusing the TMC MP of making “derogatory, inflammatory and hateful” remarks against Amit Shah.
The BJP attached a video clip to its complaint and claimed that Kalyan Banerjee’s comments against the Union Home Minister were not an isolated outburst but part of a larger pattern of inflammatory rhetoric by the ruling party.
In its letter submitted by state BJP leader Shishir Bajoria, the party alleged that Kalyan Banerjee’s remarks were intended to “humiliate, provoke and incite hostility”, thus creating tension and polarization in the midst of the election campaign.
“The statement in the matter is not an isolated incident but is part of an ongoing and increasing pattern of provocative and intimidating rhetoric by the TMC leadership and functionaries,” the BJP said.
The saffron party went a step further and claimed that TMC leaders’ repeated attacks on the BJP leadership reflected a “coordinated strategy” to spread hostility, fear and hatred.
According to the BJP, Kalyan Banerjee’s comments were made with the tacit approval of the Trinamool Congress leadership and amounted to a “systematic disregard” of the Model Code of Conduct.
The BJP has urged the poll authorities to hold Banerjee guilty of violating the MCC, direct the immediate removal of the video bearing her remarks from public platforms, restrain her and other TMC leaders from making similar speeches and initiate punitive action under relevant laws.
The Panihati seat took on unusual political significance after the BJP fielded the mother of RG Kar victim in a bid to turn statewide outrage over the rape and murder of a doctor last year into an election issue.
However, the TMC has repeatedly accused the BJP of politicizing the personal tragedy and using the bereaved family as a political weapon against the Mamata Banerjee government. The BJP, on the other hand, put forward the candidate as a symbol of resistance against what it calls the state’s failure to ensure justice and women’s safety.
