Samajwadi Party national president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has said that if there is any leader in the country effectively challenging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it is West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee. Praising Banerjee’s leadership and political struggle, he said her role in the opposition’s fight is decisive.

Speaking to the media after meeting Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Across the country, if anyone is confronting the BJP head-on, it is Mamata Banerjee. I congratulate Didi for standing firmly for the rights of the people.”

Akhilesh Yadav accused the central government and the BJP of misusing central agencies, alleging that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are functioning like political wings of the BJP. He claimed that these agencies were extensively used during elections in Maharashtra, but said Mamata Banerjee has firmly resisted political pressure in West Bengal.

During the interaction, Akhilesh Yadav also raised serious concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He said voters are being harassed in the name of SIR and described the exercise as another form of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He alleged that the process is aimed at removing a large number of voters from electoral rolls and forcing people to prove their citizenship.

Akhilesh Yadav said West Bengal is not merely a political entity but also a cultural identity. Expressing confidence in Banerjee’s popularity, he said the people of the state share a deep emotional bond with her and will once again hand her the reins of power in the upcoming elections.

He further said the BJP is fighting for a “respectable defeat” in West Bengal, adding that the people of the state will democratically deliver a decisive defeat to the party.