Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], April 19 : Escalating the political heat ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of "snatching" reservation rights from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to benefit its "Muslim vote bank."
Addressing massive rallies in Medinipur and Jhargram, the Prime Minister framed the TMC's governance as a "game" of unconstitutional, religion-based politics that compromises the rights of the general public and women.
The Prime Minister alleged that the ruling party has systematically rerouted reservation benefits intended for OBC communities toward the Muslim community, a move he claimed violates both the Constitution and specific court rulings.
"A game is being played of giving reservations on the basis of religion for the sake of the vote bank. TMC is engaged in snatching OBC reservations and giving them to the Muslim community, which is wrong according to the Constitution and the court. Therefore, I will tell all sisters and daughters that this time the TMC should receive a big punishment," he said.
PM Modi accused the TMC of being loyal only to its "vote bank" and "infiltrators" while neglecting the general public.
"TMC is only and only loyal to its vote bank, loyal to the infiltrators. It has no concern for anyone else. In the past 2-3 days, the anti-women face of TMC has also become clearly visible in the country's Parliament. There was a discussion on giving 33 per cent reservation to the country's sisters and daughters in Parliament and state assemblies, but TMC did not allow this law to pass," he stated.
The Prime Minister sharpened his attack on TMC as he addressed the recent collapse of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 in Parliament. The bill, which aimed to implement a 33% reservation for women by the 2029 elections using 2011 census data, failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.
"The TMC resorted to every kind of deceit and trickery so that Bengal's women could not lead," PM Modi told the crowd in Jhargram. "Now, Bengal's women must punish the TMC for this sin."
This comes amid a high-voltage standoff between the opposition and ruling government, which erupted after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, which sought to implement 33% reservation for women by the 2029 elections using 2011 census data for delimitation, failed to secure the mandatory two-thirds majority.
While the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was originally passed in 2023, its implementation was tied to a future census and delimitation exercise. The opposition parties criticised the new bill as a way to "rejig" the electoral map and have continuously demanded the immediate implementation of the original 2023 Act without being linked to delimitation processes.
In response to the bill's failure, senior BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, have slammed the opposition parties, terming them "anti-women".
Lashing out at the Mamata Banerjee-led party over the issue of women's reservation, the Prime Minister said, "The anti-women TMC must now be ousted from power. The sisters of Bengal must get their rights, security, and opportunities for earning, and this is the BJP's priority."
While addressing an election rally in Jhargram today, he further alleged that while the BJP worked to ensure women benefit from reservation provisions from 2029, the TMC opposed the move in Parliament.
"The BJP tried to ensure that women start benefiting from reservations from 2029. But the mahila virodhi (anti-women) TMC opposed it in Parliament. The TMC resorted to every kind of deceit and trickery so that Bengal's 33 per cent women could not become MLAs and MPs.Now, Bengal's women must punish the TMC for this sin," the Prime Minister said.
The West Bengal Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes set for May 4.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is aiming for a fourth consecutive term, while the BJP, which secured 77 seats in the previous election, is making a renewed push to form the government in the state.