Krishnanagar (West Bengal): On the second day of the West Bengal tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the Trinamool Congress government in the state saying it is synonymous with corruption. He also upped Amit Shah's target for Bengal BJP to get 35 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats to "42 out of 42."
Modi, however, remained silent on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) while addressing a huge gathering at Krishnanagar in Nadia district, where there is a high concentration of Matua voters.
Matuas are the second largest scheduled caste population in West Bengal and hold wide influence over at least five Lok Sabha seats across the districts of North 24 Parganas and Nadia. BJP won both Bongaon and Ranaghat Lok Sabha seats in 2019, where the Matua population constituted over 40 per cent of voters. In the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP had won 14 out of 15 seats in the two districts.
Starting his address with Krishna chants, the Prime Minister tried to touch the chords of the crowd, which had gathered at the birthplace of Bengal social reformer Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and soon shifted gears in going all out against the Trinamool Congress. Terming the ruling party of Bengal as a party of you, me and corruption, Modi said, "Everyone should know what TMC stands for. It is Tu (you), Main (me) and Corruption. In every sphere of life, they want a commission. I had inaugurated Bengal's first AIIMS facility in Kalyani, but the Trinamool Congress has refused to give it the go-ahead citing pollution and environmental clearances. Wherever they don't get a commission, they deny permission."
"We want the entire country to know how Bengal's Trinamool Congress has institutionalised corruption. They have not allowed central schemes like Ujjwala Bharat, Ayushman Bharat, water to every household etc, to be implemented in Bengal. They simply change the names of central government schemes and paste their own stickers on them. In a huge scam, around 25 lakh fake MGNREGA job cards were detected in the state. This Trinamool Congress government has turned every central government scheme into a scam," Modi said adding, the Centre's free ration scheme will continue for the next five years.
Going all guns blazing against the Trinamool Congress and blaming it for the atrocities in Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day, the Prime Minister said, "It is not the police in Bengal, but criminals who decide when to surrender and get arrested. In fact, the state government never wanted anyone to be arrested in Sandeshkhali. No one listened when women were crying in Sandeshkhali. It was only after the BJP's agitation and protests by the women that some actions were taken. Trinamool says it is for Ma (mother), Mati (land) and Manush (people). In Bengal, Ma, Mati, Manush and everyone else is crying under Trinamool's rule."
Aiming at jute cultivators, who have a very high concentration in Nadia district, Modi said the BJP government at the Centre had made jute bags mandatory in bulk carriage of food grains and sugar. "But, this Trinamool Congress government has ruined this sector also," he told an applauding crowd.
The Prime Minister entered the rally grounds in an open SUV amid loud cheers and later held a closed-door meeting with BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.
Railway Ministry sources today said, the Prime Minister is due to visit the state again on March 6 when he will be inaugurating three Metro railway corridors, including the first underwater Metro Railway service between Howrah and Esplanade. Modi could also hold a rally in Barasat on the same day.
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