Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent statement during a public gathering in Kolkata has drawn widespread criticism after she mistakenly claimed that the state shares a border with Sri Lanka. The controversial statement, made on April 16 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, has since gone viral on social media.
Banerjee, addressing a gathering of Imams, was speaking about the Waqf Amendment Act and the recent communal unrest in Murshidabad when she inaccurately stated, “Bengal shares a border with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.” The blunder has sparked a flood of reactions online, including sharp criticism from political adversaries.
According to Bengal CM @MamataOfficial, the state now shares a border with… Sri Lanka! 🤯
— Political Kida (@PoliticalKida) April 16, 2025
Someone please gift her a globe. pic.twitter.com/7T4Xo551TG
Sukanta Majumdar, the West Bengal BJP president, was quick to share the video on X (formerly Twitter), mocking Banerjee for her lack of geographical knowledge. In his post, Majumdar wrote, “Didi’s imagination has redrawn South Asia,” and further added, “In Mamata’s Bengal, facts are optional, logic is missing, and incompetence is a qualification.”
Social media users were equally critical, with some expressing disbelief at the statement. One user wrote, “She needs to read some primary school level geography books first, I feel crying to listen to her speech and very sad to know about her knowledge in geography!” Another user humorously posted, “According to Bengal CM @MamataOfficial, the state now shares a border with… Sri Lanka! Someone please gift her a globe.”
The controversy comes at a time when West Bengal is witnessing unrest due to protests against the Waqf Amendment Act. During her speech, Banerjee accused the BJP-led Central Government of acting hastily in enacting the Waqf Act and of fostering communal unrest in the state. She also alleged that the BJP was attempting to divide the country along religious lines.
Banerjee further criticized the Centre’s handling of security issues along the state’s borders, claiming that the responsibility lies with the Central Government and the Border Security Force (BSF), not the state government. She also questioned the BJP’s intentions behind the Waqf Amendment, referring to alleged foreign involvement in the unrest.
