With less than a year remaining until the West Bengal Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took aim at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a public meeting in North Bengal’s Alipurduar. Modi accused the Banerjee-led administration of fostering violence, corruption, and lawlessness, labeling it as a “nirmam sarkar” or ruthless government.
The Prime Minister highlighted recent incidents of violence in Murshidabad and Malda, where members of the ruling party allegedly marked homes and set them on fire while the police stood by and did nothing. Modi described these incidents as examples of the government’s cruelty and failure to maintain law and order in the state. He emphasized that the people of West Bengal were yearning for change and good governance, not the current ruthless government.
Modi outlined five major crises plaguing Bengal under TMC rule, including widespread violence, growing insecurity among women, despair among youth due to unemployment, corruption eroding public trust, and the ruling party’s self-serving politics. He also criticized the Mamata Banerjee government over the school jobs scam case, where thousands of appointments were terminated by the Calcutta High Court.
The Prime Minister expressed disappointment with the West Bengal government’s absence from the recent NITI Aayog governing council meeting in Delhi, accusing them of lacking seriousness towards development and being more interested in politics. Modi also targeted the TMC government for allegedly obstructing Central government schemes and neglecting the needs of tribal communities in the Alipurduar region.
Additionally, Modi referred to military actions to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, stating that Operation Sindoor was ongoing and that India would continue to exact a heavy price from those who sponsor terrorism. He declared Operation Sindoor from the land of Bengal, symbolizing a new resolve against terrorism.
As the political landscape heats up in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming elections, Modi’s criticisms of the current administration and his promises of change and good governance are likely to resonate with voters. The stage is set for a fiercely contested election in the state, with both the BJP and TMC vying for power in one of India’s key political battlegrounds.