Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mounted an aggressive attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led party of betraying its founding slogan of “Maa, Mati, Manush” [mother, motherland and people] and presiding over what he described as a collapse of governance in West Bengal.
Addressing an election rally in North 24 Parganas, PM Modi said the Trinamool Congress had risen to power 15 years ago invoking mother, motherland and people, but could no longer even utter the phrase.
“This election in Bengal is in its final phase, but you must have noticed one thing. 15 years ago, the TMC came to power by talking about ‘Maa, Mati, Manush’. Now they can’t even utter those words. I’ll tell you the reason behind this. If these people utter those words, their sins will be exposed. The cruelty of TMC made ‘maa’ cry, handed over ‘maati’ to syndicates and infiltrators, and forced the ‘manush’ of Bengal to flee,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister also claimed that the outcome of the first phase of polling had dealt a blow to the ruling party’s confidence. Voting for 152 constituencies on April 23 recorded a massive turnout of 93 per cent. The remaining 142 seats are scheduled to vote on April 29.
“Bengal has done wonders in the first phase of voting. The Trinamool Congress’s arrogance has been shattered in the first phase. Now, in the second phase, the BJP government’s overwhelming victory is becoming certain,” he said.
Targeting the state government on employment and youth issues, PM Modi alleged that the TMC had pushed Bengal’s young population towards addiction instead of opportunity.
“The youth of Bengal are very talented. The TMC government has driven the youth into addiction. Our Bengal is the king of creativity. The BJP will give strength to the creativity of the youth of Bengal. These days, the music videos of the children of Bengal are receiving a lot of praise on social media. I have also seen some reels. It is obvious: those who are irritated by the ‘Jhal Muri’ do not like the creativity of the youth. But the BJP will make economy and content creation the strength of Bengal,” the Prime Minister said.
Furthermore, PM Modi accused the TMC of damaging Bengal’s sporting ecosystem through syndicate culture.
The BJP will give a fresh boost to Bengal’s sports culture. The TMC’s syndicate raj has crippled the state’s sports ecosystem, as seen in the disturbing scenes from Kolkata that shocked football fans worldwide just months ago — an outcome of ‘Maha Jungleraj’. I assure Bengal players that under the Khelo India campaign, a new and robust sports ecosystem will be built in the state,” he added.
The Prime Minister has intensified campaigning in West Bengal with multiple rallies in recent weeks. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also been leading the party’s ground strategy, underscoring the BJP’s high-stakes push in the state.
