In one of her sharpest political attacks since the Trinamool Congress lost power in West Bengal, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday launched a blistering broadside against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, mocking his recent gift to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, questioning rising fuel prices and alleging that the BJP government came to power in Bengal through electoral manipulation.
Speaking during a Facebook Live session on Sunday, Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of prioritising symbolism over pressing economic concerns and took a sharp dig at Modi over the now-viral “Melodi” moment involving chocolates gifted to Meloni during his recent foreign visit. “You are travelling abroad, do you know how much fuel is being consumed? The country’s economy is struggling, and you are gifting chocolates!” Banerjee said. In a sarcastic swipe at Modi’s gift to the Italian premier, she added: “Instead of giving chocolates to the Prime Minister of Italy, they could have been given to children. Children eat chocolates.”
The former Bengal Chief Minister also questioned the Centre over rising fuel and cooking gas prices, alleging that the government deliberately lowered rates before elections only to raise them afterwards. “Why have the prices of LPG and fuel increased? Prices were reduced before the election, and as soon as voting ended, they went up again. That is natural for this government,” she said. Criticising what she described as misplaced priorities, the TMC chief remarked, “People will not buy gold, will not travel in cars, will not go to restaurants, but you will continue with repression and silence people’s voices.”
Banerjee used her social media platform to reiterate her claim that the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election had been manipulated to favour the BJP and insisted that the Trinamool Congress had not genuinely lost the mandate. “Honourable Prime Minister, Bengal was looted by force. Will you answer one question?” Banerjee asked, directly addressing PM Modi. Calling the election process a “mockery”, she alleged widespread irregularities in voting and counting. “Was this truly an election, or merely a farce? Nowhere else in the country did such logical discrepancies occur. Nearly one crore names were forcibly removed from the voter list,” she claimed.
Mamata Banerjee further alleged that electronic voting machines and counting procedures had been manipulated. “We know clearly that this rigging was orchestrated from the Election Commission’s central office. Seats we should have won were turned into losses. We were expected to secure between 220 and 230 seats, but the entire outcome was overturned,” she said.
Without naming West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Mamata Banerjee launched an attack on the BJP leader. “The person who is ruling today was never meant to sit in that chair. I remained silent and endured everything for 20 days,” she said. She also alleged that BJP workers disguised as central security personnel entered counting centres and prevented Trinamool representatives from carrying out their duties. “Our agents were not allowed into counting halls. BJP people entered wearing CRPF uniforms. Data centres were occupied by BJP IT cell members,” Banerjee alleged. The TMC supremo said the party would pursue legal remedies in constituencies where electoral discrepancies were suspected.
Turning her attention to the BJP-led government in the state, Mamata Banerjee accused it of pursuing “bulldozer politics” through demolition drives and political intimidation.
Referring to anti-encroachment operations in Kolkata and surrounding areas, she said, “Today, the protector has become the predator. Municipal councillors are being arrested every day, while decisions are being taken without hearings.” She described the demolition of structures linked to the Trinamool Congress, including a statue conceptualised by her near Salt Lake Stadium, as an act of “personal vendetta”.
The Trinamool Congress Supremo signalled that opposition parties under the INDIA bloc were likely to meet in the first week of June to discuss a coordinated political strategy against the BJP. “I will fight. We will see whether India’s Constitution is greater or the barrel of a gun,” she said.
Declaring that she would now communicate directly with the public, Banerjee said she would regularly use Facebook Live to bypass what she termed a hostile media ecosystem. “No media belongs to the people anymore. It is ‘Godi media’. My weapon is my Facebook Live. Watch our party’s social media handles,” she said while signing off.
