In West Bengal, the government of Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari seems to be in action mode against encroachment. Under this action, on Sunday (May 17, 2026), an anti-encroachment campaign was conducted outside Howrah Railway Station and illegal shops built near Ganga Ghat and bus stand were removed. At the same time, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has expressed strong objection to this bulldozer action of the Bengal government. He said that West Bengal does not believe in bulldozer politics.

Mamata Banerjee’s attack on Shubhendu government

Former Chief Minister of the state and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has shared a post in this regard on the X platform at around 9 pm on Sunday (May 17, 2026). He said, ‘From homes to roadside shops, poor people are paying the price of political arrogance. West Bengal does not believe in bulldozer politics. The land of Rabindranath Tagore and Subhash Chandra Bose cannot be ruled by fear, force and by bulldozing the houses of common citizens.

From homes to hawker stalls, the poor are paying the price of political arrogance. Bengal does not believe in bulldozer politics. The land of Tagore and Netaji cannot be ruled through fear, force, and demolition drives against ordinary citizens.

What we are witnessing today is…

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 17, 2026

He said, ‘What we are seeing today is an attack on the dignity of daily wage labourers, street vendors, small shopkeepers and all those struggling families of Bengal who have built their homes brick by brick. The massive removal of encroachments campaign conducted around Howrah station, the anger and unrest visible on the streets of Tiljala and Park Circus, along with the growing helplessness of people who have suddenly lost shelter and employment, shows that the government is more concerned with show than humanity.

Bulldozer cannot be the language of governance in Bengal: Mamata

Mamta Banerjee said, ‘The government which breaks first and listens later has forgotten the soul of Bengal. ‘Real development is measured by how a state treats its most vulnerable citizens, not by how fast it can exterminate them.’ He said, ‘Bulldozer cannot become the language of rule in Bengal, which is built on the foundation of culture, compassion and struggle against oppression.’

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