'I will ensure you cannot come out': Mamata Banerjee accuses Suvendu Adhikari of threatening her

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari of threatening her and criticised the BJP-led government over its handling of the Annapurna Yojana cash assistance scheme.

The exchange followed a Facebook Live session in which Banerjee alleged that the government was reducing the number of beneficiaries under the scheme and imposing eligibility conditions based on religion and caste. Adhikari rejected the allegations, saying assistance was being provided without political or religious discrimination.

Mamata accuses Adhikari of threatening her

Reacting to comments made by Adhikari at a press conference at the state secretariat, Banerjee accused him of attempting to intimidate the opposition.

"A NEW LOW in Indian politics!" Banerjee said in a post on X, alleging that Adhikari had publicly threatened to prevent her from leaving her home.

She shared a video clip of Adhikari's remarks in which he said:

"Let her stay on Facebook in the afternoon; she doesn't need to come out on the streets. I will make arrangements to ensure that she cannot come out on the streets. She should take rest."

Banerjee questioned the implications of the statement and appealed to the President, the Chief Justice of India and the public to consider whether such conduct was consistent with constitutional democracy.

"The words were unambiguous: 'I will ensure you cannot leave the house.' What exactly does that mean? House arrest? Intimidation? Political persecution?" she wrote.

The TMC chief said she would not be intimidated and accused the BJP of attempting to suppress political dissent.

"This is bigger than Mamata Banerjee. This is about the kind of India @BJP4India wants to create — where political opponents are threatened, dissent is punished, and constitutional rights become privileges granted by those in power," she said.

Row over Annapurna Yojana benefits

The confrontation followed a dispute over the implementation of the Annapurna Yojana, under which the West Bengal government says eligible women receive monthly financial assistance of ₹3,000.

Banerjee alleged that the BJP had failed to honour its pre-election promise to provide the benefit to all women in the state.

She claimed that the government had introduced eligibility conditions after coming to power and was cutting the number of beneficiaries under the pretext of ineligibility.

"The BJP violated its pre-poll promise of providing Annapurna Yojana to all women, and cheated people," Banerjee said during her Facebook Live session.

She also alleged that applicants were being subjected to complicated forms and additional rules and claimed that religion and caste were being considered while determining eligibility.

Adhikari rejects allegations

Adhikari dismissed the allegations, saying the government had already transferred the assistance to the bank accounts of more than 1.45 crore eligible women.

He said the scheme was being implemented without discrimination based on religion.

"Our government does not discriminate on the basis of religion. Under this scheme, funds have already reached the accounts of over 19 lakh Muslim women," Adhikari said.

On the eligibility criteria, he pointed out that the previous Lakshmir Bhandar scheme also had conditions, including an age limit of 25 to 60 years.

He said applications were being scrutinised according to government rules and that around 4.5 lakh complaints had been examined.

Adhikari also accused the previous TMC government of having discriminated while distributing welfare benefits.

Protests over delayed payments

The dispute comes amid protests in several parts of West Bengal over delays and alleged exclusion from the Annapurna Yojana.

Banerjee claimed that around 75 per cent of women who had received Lakshmir Bhandar benefits before the Assembly elections had either been excluded or had their payments withheld.

The state government has said it extended the July 31 deadline for applications from women left out of the initial beneficiary list. Adhikari has also maintained that threats, media campaigns and social media pressure would not influence the government's eligibility criteria.

On Saturday, he said all eligible women dependent on the financial assistance would be covered, even if the number of beneficiaries increased by another 20-30 lakh.

The government said it had disbursed the ₹3,000 monthly assistance to 1.45 crore women. However, protests have broken out in several areas following allegations that lakhs of applicants were left out.

TMC and BJP trade further allegations

Banerjee also accused the BJP government of political vendetta, claiming that between 15,000 and 20,000 cases had been filed against TMC workers and supporters.

She alleged that the government was more focused on filing cases against opposition workers than ensuring that women received their benefits.

BJP leaders, meanwhile, accused TMC supporters of instigating protests over the scheme.

Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Pal claimed that TMC supporters were behind the demonstrations and were attempting to create unrest.

Panchayat Minister Dilip Ghosh also recently criticised the previous TMC government's implementation of Lakshmir Bhandar, alleging that the scheme had been distributed indiscriminately.