New Delhi, May 6 -- Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday slammed Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee after she refused to resign from the Chief Minister post, criticising her for "rejecting" the people's mandate after defeat in West Bengal Assembly elections.

In a post on X, Pradhan said that "democracy is being held at gunpoint" as he blasted Mamata Banerjee for taking her position as an "entitlement," exposing her governance model of "intimidation and political patronage".

"The electoral verdict lays this reality bare. Mandates are being treated less like the people's voice and more like suggestions open to rejection. The refusal of Mamata Banerjee to accept the spirit of the mandate raises a serious question: Is power ...