TMC MP Sushmita Dev Mocks Assam CM: “He’s a Student of Mamata Banerjee’s School”

Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev on Tuesday took a swipe at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, describing him as a “student” of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Speaking at a rally in Assam’s Sribhumi district, Dev said, “Mamata Banerjee is the principal of the school, and Himanta Biswa Sarma is her student.” She alleged that the Assam Chief Minister has been imitating Mamata Banerjee’s governance style.

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“Mamata Banerjee does not announce schemes just six months before elections, unlike Himanta Biswa Sarma. She works for all communities irrespective of caste or religion, while the Assam Chief Minister focuses only on Hindu-Muslim politics,” Dev told reporters.

The Trinamool Congress MP also highlighted that West Bengal’s Kanyashree scheme was launched in 2013 and credited Mamata Banerjee for implementing welfare schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar and Swasthya Sathi.

However, Dev stressed that the people of West Bengal support Mamata Banerjee not merely because of these welfare initiatives, but because she promotes inclusive politics free from communal divisions.

Earlier on Monday, Dev alleged that the BJP was deliberately avoiding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Assam out of fear of facing public backlash. She claimed that the SIR is nothing but a “new version of the NRC”, and that the ruling party doesn’t want to face accountability for its earlier “failed NRC experiment.”

Speaking to the media, Dev said, “The SIR is exactly like the NRC that leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, and Mallikarjun Kharge have been warning about. If it isn’t, then why is the BJP avoiding it in Assam? From 2013 to 2019, more than 3 crore people submitted their papers for the NRC, yet nothing came of it. If the SIR happens here, the BJP will have to answer what went wrong.”

She further accused the Assam BJP of trying to sidestep public scrutiny. “They know people will ask tough questions. That’s why they are afraid of starting the SIR in Assam,” Dev said.

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Questioning the BJP’s intentions, the TMC MP added, “If you truly have the power, Mr Amit Shah and Mr Himanta Biswa Sarma, then complete the NRC first. Don’t fool Hindus with false claims about demography. You keep talking about it only to mislead voters.”

Dev’s remarks come amid the Election Commission’s announcement of the second phase of the SIR across several states, with the final voter list expected by February 2026.

Turning her focus to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Dev accused him of using eviction drives as a political tool. “He says he’s improving the demography of Assam, but what he’s really doing is demolishing poor people’s homes without checking their documents. When these people move elsewhere, what exactly changes in demography? This is just another election gimmick,” she asserted.

On the issue of singer Zubeen Garg’s death, Dev said that people of Assam have lost faith in the BJP government. “The people of Assam loved Zubeen Garg. They no longer believe in the BJP, especially the Chief Minister. Once the SIT report is released, the truth will come out. If there’s anything wrong with the charge sheet, the Chief Minister should resign,” she said.