The Waqf (Amendment) Act will not be implemented in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday amid violent protests in the state. Ms Banerjee said the law was made by the Centre, and answers should be sought from it.

“My sincere appeal to people of all religions, please remain calm, remain restrained. Do not engage in any irreligious behaviour in the name of religion. Every human life is precious; do not incite riots for the sake of politics. Those who are inciting riots are harming society,” she said in a post on X.

Several vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked as violence rocked Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts during protests over the new legislation on Friday.

“Remember, we did not make the law over which many are agitated. The law was made by the central government. So the answer you want should be sought from the central government,” the CM said.

“We have made our position clear on this matter — we do not support this law. This law will not be implemented in our state. So what is the riot about,” she asked.

Ms Banerjee said legal action will be taken against those inciting riots.

“We do not condone any violent activity. Some political parties are trying to misuse religion for political gain. Do not give in to their persuasion,” she said.

“I think religion means humanity, goodwill, civilisation and harmony. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and harmony,” she added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin today described the renewed friendship between the BJP and the AIADMK as a “corrupt alliance of defeat”. Mr Stalin accused both parties of mortgaging the state’s autonomy for the pursuit of power.

Mr Stalin’s remarks come a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Chennai and formally announced the reconstitution of the BJP-AIADMK alliance for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The renewed partnership comes nearly two years after the two parties severed ties in September 2023, reportedly over contentious remarks made by BJP’s K Annamalai about former AIADMK leaders, including former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

“The AIADMK-BJP alliance is an alliance doomed to fail. It was the people of Tamil Nadu who handed repeated defeats to this coalition. Now, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reconstituted the same failed alliance,” Mr Stalin said in a statement. 

Stalin questioned the lack of ideological clarity of the BJP-AIADMK pact, asserting that Mr Shah had failed to articulate the foundational principles on which the alliance rests. 

“AIADMK claims to oppose NEET, the imposition of Hindi, the three-language policy, and the Waqf Act. They also claim to demand that Tamil Nadu’s representation should not be reduced during constituency delimitation. Are all these part of the ‘common minimum programme’? The Union Home Minister did not speak about any of these. Nor did he allow the AIADMK leadership to speak. Instead, he used the press conference solely to criticize the DMK, the DMK government, and me personally,” Mr Stalin said. 

Mr Stalin went further, pointing out that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing NEET malpractices in five states, with arrests made among students and parents. “Under whose control is the CBI? Let him look into this and then answer whether opposition to NEET is a distraction or a genuine effort to protect medical education,” he said.

Law and Order: Manipur vs Tamil Nadu

Addressing Mr Shah’s criticism of law and order in Tamil Nadu, Mr Stalin drew a contrast with violence-hit Manipur. 

“It is utterly condemnable for a Home Minister to irresponsibly claim that law and order has deteriorated in Tamil Nadu. This is not Manipur – this is Tamil Nadu,” he said. “The BJP ruled over a state where more than 250 people were killed in the past 18 months. The Home Minister who failed to restore peace there now seeks to disturb peace in a peaceful state like Tamil Nadu.”

Corruption Allegations Reignited

In perhaps the most searing part of his statement, Mr Stalin targeted AIADMK’s alleged history of corruption, particularly singling out Jayalalithaa. “Former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had to step down twice due to corruption charges,” Mr Stalin said. “She was sentenced to four years imprisonment in the disproportionate assets case by a special court in Bengaluru after years of legal proceedings. If the BJP forms an alliance with her party, can it still speak credibly about corruption?”

He also alleged that AIADMK functionaries fled to the BJP after two central raids to avoid prosecution. Mr Stalin also accused AIADMK of surrendering Tamil Nadu’s autonomy. 

“The BJP leadership has a calculated plan to eradicate Tamil through Hindi imposition, to block Tamil people’s progress through various conspiracies, and to undermine Tamil Nadu’s rights through constituency delimitation. The AIADMK, which has long surrendered itself like an old bonded slave camp, is being coerced by threats to implement these conspiracies,” he said. 

The Alliance Announcement

On Friday, Mr Shah declared that the 2026 Assembly polls would be fought under the leadership of Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) in the state. 

“This election will be fought at the national level under Narendra Modi’s leadership and AIADMK chief Edappadi Palaniswami at state level,” Mr Shah said.

Recalling the 1998 alliance where the AIADMK-BJP combine won 30 of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, Mr Shah expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would return to power in the state. Mr Shah downplayed suggestions that the BJP had influenced AIADMK’s internal matters or that K Annamalai’s removal had been a precondition for the alliance. 

EPS described the alliance as “founded on a shared vision for Tamil Nadu’s progress and prosperity.” He praised Prime Minister Modi’s “unwavering support” and expressed confidence that the renewed alliance would usher in development for Tamil Nadu. 
 

State media outlets earlier warned that people weighing less than 50kg may be “easily blown away”. 

​State media outlets earlier warned that people weighing less than 50kg may be “easily blown away”.