TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee, Union minister Sukanta Majumdar in fierce spat over Bengal SIR

A sharp war of words broke out on Friday between Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar over the forthcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, with the political spat quickly descending into personal jibes and near-abusive remarks.

The exchange began after Majumdar — a Union minister of state for education and former West Bengal BJP president — warned that Central forces could be deployed during the SIR exercise and that even firing might occur if unrest broke out. His remarks, made in the context of ensuring law and order, provoked a furious reaction from Banerjee, who accused the minister of issuing veiled threats to Bengal’s electorate.

"Let the Election Commission remove just one voter and see what happens. We will bring everything to a standstill," the four-term Sreerampur MP thundered at a public event, speaking in characteristically combative style.

Taking direct aim at Majumdar, Banerjee said, "That boy who became a minister, please tell him CISF bullets will hit them. Come to Sreerampur if you have the courage. Let’s see how you go back home," addressing the minister as 'tui', the informal second-person in Bengali similar to 'tu' in Hindi.

Majumdar hit back swiftly, accusing the TMC leader of “losing his sense of proportion and political decency”. “A sitting MP is threatening to shoot a Union minister; this shows his mental state,” Majumdar told reporters in his constituency of Balurghat. “They have crossed the age for active politics and should be sent to old-age homes.”

Doubling down, the BJP minister added, “He talks like a child, without realising what he is saying. I am accepting his challenge. I am going to Sreerampur tomorrow. Let’s see how big a baper beta (son of his father) he really is.”

The controversy comes at a time when the SIR exercise itself has become a major flashpoint between the state government and the Election Commission of India (ECI). The revision, aimed at updating voter rolls ahead of next year’s Assembly polls, has been criticised by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who accused the Commission of “acting under political influence” and claimed that officials were “threatening” state government employees.

The TMC has alleged that the BJP is using the process to tamper with the voters’ list, while the BJP has countered that the SIR is a routine and transparent exercise mandated by the poll panel.

Amid rising political temperatures, the ECI this week said booth-level officers engaged in the revision process would be provided adequate security, following reports that several field officers had faced intimidation during verification work. The ECI emphasised that strict instructions had been issued to ensure the safety of all personnel involved in the exercise, reiterating that the SIR was being carried out in accordance with established procedures.

The verbal slugfest between Banerjee and Majumdar has further deepened the political fault lines in Bengal, where both parties have been trading accusations over alleged attempts to manipulate the revision process for electoral gain.

While the TMC described Majumdar’s comments as “provocative” and “intended to terrorise voters”, the BJP defended him, saying the minister merely reiterated that law and order would be strictly maintained during the voter roll verification drive.

With Majumdar announcing plans to visit Sreerampur on Saturday, political observers said the confrontation had now assumed the contours of a symbolic face-off — pitting the BJP’s central leadership against entrenched TMC heavyweights in the state.

With PTI inputs