'How dare you didi?': Mamata's 'if Bengal burns' threat to PM Modi sparks outrage

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's recent remarks at the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) foundation day rally have sparked a strong reaction from the chief ministers of Assam and Manipur.
While addressing the rally, Mamata warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to instigate trouble in Bengal, it would have consequences for other states, stating, "If you burn Bengal, Assam, North-East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi too shall burn!"
In response, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Mamata of trying to provoke the public to conceal her own shortcomings.
"Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don't show us bloodshot eyes. Don't try to set India on fire with your politics of failure," Sarma said in a post on X.
Sarma also said that divisive language does not suit Banerjee.
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh also condemned Banerjee's remarks and demanded a public apology to the Northeast and the rest of the nation.
In a post on X, he wrote, "How dare Didi threaten the Northeast? I condemn such irresponsible remarks in the strongest terms. She must publicly apologize to the Northeast and the rest of the nation."
Singh further urged the Bengal chief minister to refrain from inciting violence and hatred through divisive politics, stating that such behaviour is unbecoming of a political leader.
West Bengal BJP chief and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar joined the chorus of criticism, accusing the TMC supremo of making "anti-national" remarks.
He wrote a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, urging the Centre to take cognizance of her statements. Majumdar charged Mamata with openly endorsing revenge politics and called upon Shah to protect the interests of the people of West Bengal.
"It is unthinkable and unprecedented for a chief minister, who is constitutionally bound to rise above partisan attitudes, to make such intimidating statements that pose a threat to democracy," he said.
BJP's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also tore into Mamata's statement and claimed that her priority is not justice but revenge.
40 crore Indians are demanding justice for the daughter of West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee's priority is not justice but revenge. When a CM says Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Northeast and Odisha will burn, I want to ask if Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, AAP or Gaurav Gogoi support this statement. Are the people who are demanding justice causing unrest?" he said.
"It is an insult to the protesters and doctors when Mamata Banerjee says that demanding justice is like causing unrest. She is making anti-Constitutional statements and Rahul Gandhi, who roams around with a copy of the Constitution, does not speak a word on it," he added.
The controversy arose during Mamata's address at the TMCP foundation day rally, where she accused the BJP of conspiring to defame West Bengal and derail the investigation into a recent rape-murder incident. She also announced that the TMC would launch a grassroots movement to pressure the Centre to pass legislation mandating capital punishment for convicted rapists.
Mamata also said that the amended bill would be passed in a special session of the assembly and sent to the governor for approval. She threatened to stage a dharna outside Raj Bhavan if the governor delayed the bill's approval, with women at the forefront, accompanied by their brothers.
The incident that sparked this controversy was the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Since that evening, junior doctors at state-run hospitals have been on a cease-work protest, demanding justice for the victim and robust security measures in hospitals.