Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to people to "stay united" in a bid to thwart the aggressive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is aiming to consolidate the Hindu votes eyeing to unseat the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2026 assembly elections.

The fierce battle between the TMC and BJP peaked when Mamata addressed a sea of Muslim people at the Red Road on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

"Do not let riots take place. Their only aim is to cause riots while I am committed to prevent it. They will automatically be defeated if there is no riot. I request all of you to not fall into their trap of causing riots," Mamata said in the backdrop of reported incidents of communal tensions in the state.

The Chief Minister challenged the BJP of altering the Constitution from the same venue where she presides over the Durga Puja carnival in the last quarter of every year.

Mamata, who also heads the TMC, triggered the BJP's wrath by calling the saffron party's curated religion "ganda" or "dirty".

"I dare them to change the Constitution in their bid to divide people... I subscribe to the religion of Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda but not to this jumla party's well thought out, dirty religion which I consider anti-Hindu," she said and added, "All Hindus and Christians are not against you people (Muslims). There are a few political leaders who make deals. I will shut their dealings if you are all united."

Responding to the state BJP's frequent calls for President's rule in West Bengal in view of the communal clashes, the Chief Minister referred to the alleged deteriorating law and order situations in other provinces ruled by the saffron unit.

"What about Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan? They dictate people on their individual choices even on the occasion of Eid," she said.

Barely a few days after she was confronted by the Communist party's students' wing SFI at Kellogg College in London, Mamata trained her guns partially at the Left as well on the occasion, which saw her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's attendance.

Mamata relaunched her attack on the Left accusing it of collaborating with the BJP to corner the TMC, which has been ruling the state for 14 years uninterrupted.

"It's a shame that the Left party, which used to lecture on secularism, has joined hands with the BJP. Let them unite. We alone are sufficient. I can sacrifice my life for all religions," said the Chief Minister.

'Kaun sa Dharm ganda hai Ms. Mamata Banerjee?'

In a strong response to Mamata's 'ganda dharm' remark, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari equated the Chief Minister's words with her alleged appeasement politics.

In a lengthy X post, Adhikari, who became a BJP MLA from Nandigram defeating her previous boss Mamata Banerjee, said, "Kaun sa Dharm ganda hai Ms. Mamata Banerjee? Appeasing the Muslim Community at the Red Road with your almost incomprehensible gibberish Urdu dialect, you made a statement that you don't follow the 'Ganda Dharm' or 'Dirty Religion'.

"Which religion were you specifically referring to? Sanatan Hindu Dharma? What kind of provocative speech did you deliver at the Red Road on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr? You uttered the words 'Danga' & Riots more than you repeated the word Eid."

"Was it a religious event or a political programme? Why were you deliberately mongering hate with the deliberate intention of creating animosity between communities? Ms. Mamata Banerjee, you are the one who weaponizes religion. It will boomerang on you very soon."

Left hits back at Mamata

In response to Mamata's Left-BJP understanding claims, CPI-M state secretary said Md. Salim said, "She launched violence against the Left at the behest of RSS and declared the total wiping out of Communism in the state. Now how could she find Left again?

"The whole world is aware that it is the Communist party that fights against fascism, be it Hitler, Mussolini or RSS. BJP and TMC are united in dividing people and making minority second category citizens. To counter the Left's effort to unite people, Mamata Banerjee has curated this lie."