Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata of blocking SIR, TMC fires sharp rebuttal

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of approaching the Supreme Court to stall the Statewide Infiltrators’ Register (SIR) exercise, alleging that the move was aimed at protecting infiltrators and influencing the electoral process. Addressing the BJP’s ‘Nari Sankalp Yatra’ at Science City auditorium, Gupta claimed that the people of West Bengal had made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.

Gupta criticised the TMC government for what she described as “hands-off” and appeasement policies that, according to her, allowed thousands of infiltrators into the state, straining access to basic services and even the right to vote for genuine citizens. “Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls,” she said.

Raising concerns over women’s safety, Gupta cited the rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital, the alleged rape of a medic in Durgapur, and another case involving a law student in Kolkata. She also criticised welfare schemes such as Kanyashree and alleged that central funds meant for schemes like Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission had not reached beneficiaries due to non-implementation by the state. She pointed to teacher shortages and school closures as signs of a faltering education sector and invoked Goddess Durga, asserting that Bengal’s women deserve dignity and security.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) responded sharply to Gupta’s remarks. West Bengal Women and Child Welfare Minister Shashi Panja termed the accusations “absurd” and politically motivated ahead of elections, pointing to issues during Gupta’s tenure in Delhi, including cases of missing young women and worsening air pollution. In a strongly worded post on X, the TMC sarcastically referred to Gupta as the “AQI is a temperature Chief Minister” and accused her of going “off-script” and turning herself into a “walking meme factory.”

Citing comparative national data, the party said West Bengal ranks 15th in total crimes under IPC and SLL categories and 28th in overall crime rate, placing it safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana, while Delhi ranks second in overall crime rate . It further claimed that in Infant Mortality Rate Bengal stands 16th and performs better than BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Odisha . O n Maternal Mortality Rate , the TMC alleged that the five worst-performing states are BJP-governed Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Assam, and added that Assam records the highest child marriage rate. The party concluded by urging Gupta to address governance issues in Delhi before criticising West Bengal, asserting that the state fares better than several BJP-ruled states across key crime, health and social indicators.