SIR row: 'Remember you work under State, ensure no name removed from voter list,' Mamata to BLOs

In an administrative meeting in Bolpur, Birbhum, Mamata claimed she was not informed that several West Bengal officers were flown to Delhi and other locations for training.

"I have not even been informed about the officers being flown to Delhi for training! DMs should have informed me or at least, CS (Chief Secretary). I would request BLOs to ensure no one's name is removed from the voter list. 

"Remember the Election Commission is in charge since the issuance of poll notification but the state government is in charge before and after the polls. Remember, you (BLOs) work under the state government. Do not harass anyone," said the Chief Minister.

From an address in Bolpur, Mamata accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of conducting National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the name of SIR, which is currently underway in poll-bound Bihar.

"ECI, with due respect, ‘are you playing the government’s NRC game?’ They are saying that they will go to someone's house 4 times, and if there is no response, names will be struck off... Such audacity!

"They are finalising the voter list while sitting in Gujarat. Gujaratis are not my enemies. The BJP’s agency is doing this. Try removing names in Bengal (we will show you what we can do)...," said the Chief Minister.

".. Do not harass the people and the genuine voters. I will not allow NRC or detention camps here...," Mamata added.

Slamming Mamata over her alleged message to the BLOs, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Chief Minister of protecting the infiltrators in West Bengal.

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya posted on X, "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is now openly threatening Election Commission officials — saying they work for the state and shouldn’t follow directions from the National Election Commission!

"Why this desperation? To shield her illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya vote bank. She’s brazenly opposing a clean, verified voter list — because TMC’s survival depends on fake voters. Mamata Banerjee knows that without bogus votes, TMC will collapse. This isn’t just political arrogance — it’s a direct assault on India’s Constitution and democracy!"

Mamata Banerjee has already raised the issue of the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in the BJP-ruled states over SIR.

Leading a 'Bhasha Andolan' rally in Bolpur, Mamata said she won't tolerate the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in other states and appealed to them to return to West Bengal.

She said, "I must clarify my stand: I am not against any language, I am against divisive policies. We want unity. Unity in diversity is our foundation. Have we ever told any Hindi-speaking people to leave from here? But Bengali speakers are being harassed in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, and Maharashtra. Would you like that? No.

"That is why you (Hindi speakers) are here with me. Raise your voice from your own community. If there are 1.5 crore migrant workers in Bengal, there are 22 lakh workers from Bengal working outside. This torture on them must stop. If we can offer shelter to everyone, why can’t you (BJP)?"

Though SIR is not yet launched in West Bengal, several officers including BLOs have been taken to Delhi and other locations for training.