Democracy in Bengal ‘held at gunpoint’: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) alleged that democracy in West Bengal was being “held at gunpoint” and accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of refusing to accept the spirit of the electoral mandate.

In a post on X, Mr. Pradhan said mandates were being treated “less like the people’s voice and more like suggestions open to rejection”, raising questions over whether power was being treated as a responsibility or an entitlement.