A 5.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Bangladesh on Friday morning, sending strong tremors through Kolkata and parts of eastern India, quickly became the centerpiece of a heated political exchange between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
From Tremors to Twitter War
Moments after the ground shook, the political ground in West Bengal also trembled as the state unit of the BJP took to social media platform X to make a pointed political jab. The BJP's post directly targeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking, "West Bengal just felt earthquake tremors. Mamata Banerjee, was it because of SIR?" This remark was a reference to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, a key administrative exercise as the state prepares for the 2026 Assembly elections.
TMC's Swift and Scathing Retort
The Trinamool Congress did not take long to fire back with a sharp response of their own. The party's rebuttal on X turned the tables, suggesting the tremors were symbolic of the BJP's own shaky future in the state. The TMC stated, "It's actually the ground shaking beneath the feet of @BJP4Bengal as they stare at an imminent defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections." In a further escalation, the party added, "And don't worry, the Delhi Zamindars won't miss it either; the shockwaves will reach them too," a clear dig at the BJP's central leadership.
The Human Impact of the Quake
Beyond the political sparring, the earthquake had real and tragic consequences. The quake, which epicentered in Bangladesh's Narsingdi district, was powerfully felt in Kolkata and other eastern Indian regions. According to a Reuters report cited by police, three people were killed when a building's railing collapsed during the event. An eyewitness in Dhaka, Suman Rahman, described the panic, stating, "We felt a strong jolt and buildings were shaking like trees. Staircases were jammed as people rushed down. Everyone was terrified, children were crying." This incident underscores the serious nature of the seismic event that preceded the political storm.
