Union Home Minister Amit Shah claims 6,900 companies shut or left West Bengal since TMC came to power, alleges corruption, industrial decline, misuse of central funds, neglect of North Bengal, and promises strict action on illegal infiltration if BJP forms government.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, alleging that nearly 6,900 companies have either shut down operations or relocated to other states since the party came to power in 2011. Shah claimed the trend reflected a steady decline in the state’s industrial climate under the Mamata Banerjee-led administration.
Addressing a massive rally-cum-workers’ conference of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Siliguri, located in Darjeeling district of North Bengal, Shah said the period between 2011 and 2025 had witnessed a significant industrial exodus. According to him, 110 of the affected companies were listed on the stock market, highlighting the seriousness of the economic setback.
“From 2011 to 2025, a total of 6,900 companies in West Bengal were either closed or shifted their management outside the state. Among them, 110 were listed companies. West Bengal once recorded impressive figures in gross state domestic product and per capita income, but those indicators have fallen sharply during the Trinamool Congress regime,” Shah said.
The Home Minister’s Siliguri rally was his second political event in West Bengal on Saturday. Earlier in the day, he addressed another rally in Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district, continuing the BJP’s aggressive campaign against the ruling TMC ahead of upcoming political battles in the state.
Shah also presented a comparative analysis of central funds allocated to West Bengal under different governments at the Centre. He claimed that during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime from 2004 to 2014, West Bengal received approximately Rs 2 lakh crore in central assistance. In contrast, during the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government since 2014, the state received nearly Rs 10 lakh crore.
“But where did this money go?” Shah asked the gathering. “This massive amount was siphoned off through corruption syndicates run by the Trinamool Congress. If the BJP comes to power in West Bengal, the heads of these syndicates will be sent behind bars.”
The Union Home Minister further accused the state government of neglecting North Bengal, claiming the region had been exploited without adequate reinvestment. “The current regime has treated North Bengal merely as a duck laying golden eggs. Development has been ignored. If the BJP forms the government, budgetary allocations for North Bengal will be significantly increased,” Shah asserted.
Illegal infiltration also featured prominently in Shah’s address. Reiterating the BJP’s hard stance, he said that a BJP-led government in West Bengal would completely stop illegal infiltration and initiate action to deport existing illegal immigrants.
“If the BJP comes to power, not only will infiltration be stopped, but illegal infiltrators will be identified and deported one after another,” Shah said, drawing loud applause from party workers.
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He further alleged that the TMC leadership was opposing special verification drives because such exercises would expose illegal infiltration networks. “This is precisely why Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress are scared of intensive verification processes. These exercises will help identify illegal infiltrators,” Shah added.
The remarks are expected to intensify the political confrontation between the BJP and TMC, particularly in North Bengal, a region where the BJP has been trying to consolidate its support base by raising issues of development, security, and governance.
