‘Revolution is coming’: Mahua launches broadside at Modi government

• Mahua Moitra targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar and challenges Agnipath policy.

• TMC MP questions foreign-funding allegations against CJP activists.

• Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya takes a swipe at TMC-CPI(M) political alignment.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led government, questioning its handling of democratic institutions, the controversial Agnipath recruitment scheme and allegations of foreign funding against political activists. In a series of sharp remarks, Moitra made it clear that the Opposition would not allow what she described as an assault on democratic accountability to go unchallenged.

One of her strongest attacks was directed at chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Taking issue with the legal protection available to election commissioners, Moitra warned that the Opposition would revisit the issue if it secured a majority in Parliament.

"When we come to Parliament, we will ensure that Gyanesh goes to jail," she said in an interaction with the press on Thursday, 5 November, adding that the fight was about "reclaiming democracy". She also declared that a "revolution is coming".

Moitra also questioned the Centre's decision to grant a two-year extension to 75 per cent of Agniveers, who were originally expected to leave the armed forces after completing their four-year tenure.

The decision, announced on Wednesday by chief of defence staff General N.S. Raja Subramani, allows the affected recruits to serve for another two years, with a further opportunity for regular enrolment subject to selection criteria.

For Moitra, the announcement raises an obvious political question: if the original policy was so well conceived, why has the government found it necessary to modify it just as the first batch of Agniveers approaches the end of its four-year tenure?

Describing the Centre as a "flip-flop government", she argued that repeated changes to major policy decisions create uncertainty for young people who plan their futures around government assurances.

The issue is particularly significant for thousands of young Indians who joined the armed forces hoping for stable employment and a long-term military career. While the two-year extension may offer temporary relief to those affected, it does not guarantee permanent service or regular enrolment.

Another major political flashpoint is Union minister of state Jitendra Singh's allegation that activists associated with the so-called Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) were receiving money from foreign donors, including sources in the United States and Pakistan.

Singh alleged that CJP activist Abhijit Dipke was receiving funds from unauthorised sources and referred to foreign-funded NGOs and organisations allegedly working against India's interests.

Moitra hit back by questioning the basis of the allegations. She claimed that CJP members, including Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, had themselves spoken about receiving support from the BJP, including through electoral bonds. "I have to say that the CJP has already said that they are getting money from the BJP, forget foreign sources," she remarked.

She also questioned why Saurav Das had been left out of the minister's allegations, adding: "Obviously, the BJP is funding them."

The controversy intensified after CJP activist Saurav Das rejected the foreign-funding allegations and challenged Singh to produce evidence. Ashutosh Ranka also hit back at the Centre.

Moitra's criticism comes amid a wider Opposition campaign against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the government's handling of electoral rolls.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has also demanded accountability from Gyanesh Kumar, threatening legal action over alleged irregularities in voter-list revisions. At an INDIA bloc rally in Delhi, Gandhi called for the CEC's removal. The BJP, however, has rejected allegations of voter manipulation.

The BJP has defended the legal protection available to the chief election commissioner. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra argued that the protection was not introduced by the Modi government but was rooted in the existing legal and constitutional framework.

Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya turned his fire on the TMC and the CPI(M), questioning why the two parties were seen sharing a political platform in Delhi but were not taking to the streets together in Bengal.

"We are witnessing the TMC and CPI(M) fighting in Delhi. Why are they not hitting the streets in Bengal? The people of Bengal want to see them together here, including the Congress," Bhattacharya said.

Taking a swipe at chief minister Mamata Banerjee, he also invoked the TMC's popular slogan, 'Bangla nijer meyeke chay' (Bengal wants its own daughter), questioning her political presence in the state. "The TMC had a slogan that Bangla nijer meyeke chay. Where is she? Where is Mamata Banerjee?" he asked.