Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned up the heat on the Trinamool Congress as West Bengal heads into a high-stakes Assembly election. The PM declared that the party “cannot absolve itself of the sins committed against Bengal’s youth, even in 100 years.” The PM recalled LoP Suvendu Adhikari's "miracle" victory over Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 elections and expressed optimism that it will happen again in Bhabanipur and throughout the state.
Also Read | How much votes polled in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry till 3 PM? Strong turnout marks polling day
Despite bad weather, the massive turnout at the Haldia rally which is considered the stronghold of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari—signals an “indicator of change in Bengal” and points to the TMC’s impending exit, he said. He further noted that investment does not come in an atmosphere of fear but in a climate of trust one that the BJP will bring to West Bengal.
PM claims change on the way
In West Bengal, the Legislative Assembly consists of 294 seats. Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021 and is pitted against the incumbent chief minister at her bastion in south Kolkata’s Bhabanipur. PM Modi said Bengal had shown signs of rejecting “adverse situations” this time, arguing that the enthusiasm at the rally reflected a clear wave in favor of the BJP. Describing it as a storm of “poribortan” or change, he said it marked the beginning of the TMC’s exit and added that the transformation seen in Medinipur and Nandigram five years ago was now spreading across West Bengal.
PM Modi accused the Trinamool Congress government of acting as a “Nirmam Sarkar” or cruel government, saying it had pushed the private sector to the brink and turned government jobs into a source of corruption.
“TMC cheated Bengal’s youth on two counts: it squeezed the private sector into virtual oblivion and looted government posts for money. TMC is following a religion-based reservation policy to secure its vote bank,” he said.
Also Read | Who is Harshita Arora? Meet the UP-born school dropout who rose to become Y Combinator’s General Partner
Modi's six assurances for Bengal
PM Modi laid out six assurances for a BJP government in West Bengal, promising to replace what he described as an atmosphere of fear with trust and restore confidence in the rule of law. He said the administration would be made fully accountable to the public and that files linked to corruption, scams, crimes against women, and rape cases would be reopened.
He also said anyone involved in corruption under TMC rule, whether “a minister or a watchman,” would face the law, and no party loyalist would be allowed to evade accountability. Modi added that refugees would receive their constitutional rights, while “infiltrators” would be removed. As his final guarantee, he promised that a BJP government would implement the 7th Pay Commission immediately after taking office.
