Kolkata, March 5 Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami alleged on Thursday that the image of West Bengal, the land associated with luminaries like Swami Vivekananda, Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore, and Subhas Chandra Bose, has been tarnished by the "misgovernance" of the Trinamool Congress.
Addressing a rally during the Parivartan Yatra in the remote Hingalganj area of North 24 Parganas district, Dhami alleged that under the "pro-appeasement" TMC government, the number of infiltrators in Bengal has reached an alarming level, while law and order has deteriorated and atrocities against women have increased.
"Bengal, which is the land of Rabindranath Tagore, Bankimchandra, Vivekananda, Netaji, and revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose, is now witnessing heinous incidents such as the rape-murder of a female doctor in RG Kar Hospital, the torture of poor women in Sandeshkhali, and corruption that has led to the invalidation of thousands of school teachers' jobs due to the actions of TMC leaders. Only the BJP can change the situation and restore the state's glory," he said.
Dhami said Tagore's dream of 'Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal) had been tarnished during the TMC's rule, which only the BJP can restore.
Claiming that the difference in dearness allowance between Bengal government employees and their central counterparts was among the highest in the country, he said, "Once the BJP takes charge of the state, the long-standing demands of state government employees will be addressed."
He alleged that despite receiving central funds for various projects, the state failed to spend the money, depriving people of the benefits.
"Who is responsible for that?" he asked.
Pointing out the shared heritage between the two states, Dhami said, "While the Ganga originates from Gangotri, it flows through Bengal and meets the sea at Gangasagar. Therefore, we, the two states, are united by heritage, spirituality, history, and by the Ganga."
Referring to Swami Vivekananda's historic Chicago speech, he said that the Uttarakhand government is developing the place where the saint meditated.
He also cited the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in building the Ram temple at Ayodhya and said that the BJP is committed to preserving and promoting India's rich spiritual heritage.
Dhami later flagged off a decorated 'rath', a flower-decked truck bathed in saffron hues, and participated in the rally for some time as thousands lined the route.
The Hingalganj rally, located in the Sundarbans belt, was one of the nine 'Parivartan yatras' organized by the BJP from different parts of the state ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bengal.
Union minister and former BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar and former MP Locket Chatterjee were also present at the rally.
