South 24 Parganas (West Bengal)

Amid the ongoing 'Parivartan Yatra' campaign, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday took a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying that the word 'Parivartan' signifies the desire to make West Bengal "infiltration and corruption free" and to replace the Trianmool Congress government with a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

He said the Parivartan Yatra has been initiated to bring about change in the state, asserting that 'Parivartan' was not merely about changing the Chief Minister.

"The Parivartan Yatras have been initiated to bring about change in West Bengal. Yesterday, Mamata didi said that this is a Yatra to gain power. Mamata didi, by the word 'Parivartan' (change), we do not mean to change the Chief Minister. The people of Bengal will change it (chief minister). But the meaning of 'Parivartan' is to make Bengal free from infiltration. It is meant to make Bengal corruption-free. 'Parivartan' means to throw away the corrupt TMC government and make the BJP government," Shah said while addressing a gathering in Mathurapur.

The Union Home Minister added that nine Yatras are being launched across West Bengal, four of which started the previous day, and that the journey had commenced from Siliguri, Nabadwip, Medinipur, and Purulia.

"I have come to Mathurapur today. Today, the Parivartan Yatra begins from here. A total of nine Yatras will begin all over Bengal. Four of these started yesterday. Our BJP National President Nitin Nabin inaugurated them. This journey started from Siliguri, Nabadwip, Medinipur, and Purulia. Today, the journey will begin from Malda, Hooghly, Bardhaman, North 24 Parganas and Mathurapur. The Parivartan Yatra is being launched in Bengal to initiate the change," the Home Minister said.

The Home Minister also alleged that the state has suffered due to decades of misrule. He said Bengal, once known for its prosperity, has witnessed a decline over the years under successive governments.

"Bengal has endured significant hardship over the years. For decades, the Communist regime stifled the state's growth. Once renowned as a land of abundance and prosperity, Bengal was driven from bad to worse by Communist rule, and its situation further deteriorated under Mamata Didi's leadership, plunging many into poverty. Now, it is time to restore the glory of Sonar Bangla," Shah added.

Earlier, BJP national president Nitin Nabin attended the launch of the party's Parivartan Yatra 2026 in Cooch Behar and launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of "failing to protect women and encouraging illegal infiltration."

The BJP president also said that through the Parivartan Yatra, the BJP wants to send a message to remove illegal immigrants in Bengal, claiming that the time had come to remove those who had allegedly been supported by the ruling dispensation.

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The Parivartan Yatra is a massive statewide campaign ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, expected to cover over 5,000 km, including 63 major rallies and 282 smaller gatherings, culminating in a grand rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP aims to highlight corruption, women's safety, illegal infiltration, threats to national security, and failures in state governance, while emphasising development, employment, and urban-rural infrastructure. Party sources said the campaign targets over 1 crore direct citizen touchpoints, strengthening booth-level engagement and organisational outreach.