Haldia, April 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal for its alleged misrule and appealed to voters to oust the TMC from power in the upcoming assembly elections.
Addressing a gathering in Haldia, the constituency of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Modi said that the ruling dispensation in the state was "dragging Bengal back".
"The country is progressing, while the TMC's 'nirmam sarkar' is hindering Bengal's progress. To achieve 'Viksit Bengal', it is essential that the party is removed from power," he claimed.
He also alleged that the "TMC had cheated Bengal's youth on two counts – destroying the private sector and looting government posts for personal gain".
"Investment does not come in an atmosphere of fear, but in a climate of trust that the BJP will bring to Bengal," Modi said at the industrial hub.
He accused the TMC of following a "religion-based reservation policy to secure its vote bank".
"The huge turnout at the Haldia rally, despite the bad weather, is an indication of change in Bengal, and a sign of the TMC's exit," the Prime Minister asserted.
Modi said, "The assembly election result in Nandigram five years ago will be repeated in Bhabanipur this time."
Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021, and he is now contesting against the incumbent chief minister in her stronghold in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur.
Criticising the Trinamool Congress, Modi said, "Even in 100 years, the TMC cannot absolve itself of the wrongdoings it committed against Bengal's youth."
Advocating for a double-engine government in West Bengal, the Prime Minister told the gathering that the state "will not benefit by opposing the PM, but will only prosper when the PM and CM work together".
He promised the people of West Bengal that the state would become self-sufficient in fisheries and the seafood sector, while highlighting that the BJP government at the Centre has established a dedicated ministry for the welfare of the fisherfolk and allocated a record budget for them.