Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, after offering prayers at the Kalighat Kali Temple, in Kolkata, on February 22, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday (February 22, 2026) claimed that the people of the State have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
Addressing participants at the ‘Nari Sankalp Yatra’ organised by the BJP’s women’s wing at Science City auditorium in Kolkata, Ms. Gupta alleged that the “hands-off” and appeasement policies of the TMC Government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the State in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
“She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a Chief Minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls,” Ms. Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an “alarming level” under the TMC regime. Raising concerns over women’s safety, she claimed that women in the State were not secure despite having a woman Chief Minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Ms. Gupta alleged that the State Government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
Criticising the State Government’s welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on “false claims” and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the State Government of blocking central schemes, Ms. Gupta alleged that funds worth “lakhs of crores of rupees” had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana, and Jal Jeevan Mission by the State.
“You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit,” she said. Ms. Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the State had been adversely affected, saying several State-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Ms. Gupta said, “People have already voted out ‘Bhaia’ [a reference to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal]. Now it is your turn to bid farewell to ‘Didi’.” Calling upon women to resist what she termed “strong-arm tactics”, she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga. “Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity,” she added.
Published – February 22, 2026 06:37 pm IST
