Edited video shared to claim Mamata Banerjee wants people of West Bengal ‘to stay poor’

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media claims that Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), wants the people of the state to remain poor. The clip shows Banerjee giving a speech and saying, “I want you to stay poor, which means living on whatever you have left at home.”

Several Facebook users shared this video, adding comments such as, “We know your only goal is to keep Bengal’s people poor. You want to force educated and talented unemployed youths into becoming ‘chop’ and ‘ghugni’ [Bengali delicacies] vendors. That is why you are the chief minister.” Archived versions of such posts can be found here and here.

  Screenshots of the viral posts. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is misleading, as the video has been shared out of context. A review of the full video reveals that Banerjee addressed TMC workers, urging them to focus on serving the people rather than seeking wealth.

How did we find the truth?

We examined Banerjee’s official Facebook page and identified that the video in question comes from her speech at the July 21, 2024, Martyr’s Day Rally. This annual event, initially organized by the Indian National Congress and later the TMC, commemorates the 1993 Kolkata firing. This year’s rally featured TMC leaders and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Banerjee’s speech, streamed live on her Facebook page (archived here), lasts 45:35 minutes. At around the 12:55 mark, she stated, “I want to tell you, I want, we want, Trinamool Congress, we will be the social friend of the people. Trinamool Congress will be the social friend of the people. I want to be conscientious, not rich. Do you know why? Money comes and goes – there is no substitute for service. Keep that in mind. I will do people’s work; if necessary, I will write his application myself. I will tell all municipalities, panchayats, MLAs, and MPs that from now on, no complaint should be made against anyone. If any complaint is received, we will take appropriate action – keep this in mind.”

She continued, “I want you to stay poor, which means living on whatever you have left at home. I don’t need to be greedy. We don’t want to be greedy; we want to be friends with people. As long as you do this, remember that somebody can remove you, but nobody can throw you out. If you do something wrong, you have seen that I don’t even spare TMC; I arrest even TMC members. Don’t engage in wrongdoing, and don’t accept wrongdoing either.”

Banerjee was addressing TMC workers and party affiliates, encouraging them to serve the people of West Bengal selflessly. She did not state that she wanted the people of Bengal to remain poor. The clip, which spans from the 13:48 to 14:15 mark, was shared out of context.

Additionally, at the beginning of her speech, Banerjee highlighted her government’s success in reducing poverty. At the 10:40 mark, she noted, “A few years before we came to power, 57.7 percent of people were below the poverty line. Under our Maa-Mati-Manush government, it was reduced to only 8 percent from 57 percent, and we aim to make it zero.”

Banerjee’s speech was also broadcast live on the AITC YouTube channel on July 21 (archived here). We reviewed the entire speech and confirmed that she did not say she wants Bengal’s people to stay poor. The video shared with misleading claims misrepresents her message.

The verdict

The video of Mamata Banerjee speaking at the rally has been taken out of context. She did not express a desire for the people of Bengal to remain poor. The edited video circulated online is misleading.