Invoking the political shift in Bengal following the Nandigram agitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed optimism that voters in the poll-bound state will “overcome every adverse circumstance” to bring the BJP to power. The agitation in Nandigram was a “watershed moment” that led to the historic 2011 Assembly Election victory for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), ending 34 years of uninterrupted Left Front rule.
The huge attendance at the rally in Haldia – the backyard of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari – despite inclement weather is an “indicator of change in Bengal” and a sign of the TMC’s exit, he said.
PM Modi invokes storm of change in Haldia
“The BJP’s victory is visible in the enthusiasm and fervor. This is a storm of change; this is the announcement of the departure of the brutal TMC government,” PM Modi said.
“The assembly poll result in Nadigram five years ago will be repeated in Bhabanipur this time.” 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.
Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of pulling Bengal back with its religion-based reservation policy and creating an atmosphere of fear for investors, he said: “Bengal, which was once the backbone of India’s progress and strengthened its manufacturing and business, has been brought down to such lows in all development parameters under the TMC government…”
The Trinamool Congress government, which he described as a ‘Nirmam Sarkar’ (cruel government), has squeezed the private sector into virtual oblivion and looted government posts for money.
“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. “Even in 100 years, the TMC cannot absolve itself of the sins it committed against Bengal’s youth.”
Nandigram result five years ago will be repeated in Bhabanipur this time
To usher in a ‘Viksit Bengal’ (Developed Bengal), it is essential that the TMC’s ‘Nirmam Sarkar’ is removed from the state, he added. 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.
“Who can provide this trust? Only the BJP can. The development in states where the BJP is in power creates the trust that we will bring the same progress to Bengal. On the basis of that trust, we will say goodbye to fear.”
“The assembly poll result in Nadigram five years ago will be repeated in Bhabanipur this time.” 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.
Batting for a double-engine government in West Bengal, the Prime Minister told the gathering that the state “would not benefit by opposing the PM, but will profit only when a PM and a CM act in unison”.
He promised the people of West Bengal of making the state self-sufficient in fisheries and the seafood sector, while highlighting that the BJP government at the Centre has set up a dedicated ministry for the welfare of the fisherfolk and allotted a record budget for them.
West Bengal will head to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.