Asansol, April 9 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress government, claiming that the ruling party-linked syndicate and mafia were looting the state's resources and also warned that all those involved would be held accountable after the May 4 election results.
Addressing his second election rally in Asansol, Prime Minister Modi blamed previous governments, including the Trinamool Congress, for West Bengal's "decline from prosperity to deprivation" and stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the only solution for the state's growing problems.
He said that after independence, West Bengal was the biggest contributor to India's economy, but today it has lost that status, and is far from where it stood.
"On a scale of Rs 100, it contributed Rs 12 after independence, but today, that amount has been reduced to Rs 5.5 on a scale of Rs 100," the Prime Minister told the crowd, while criticizing the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal for putting the economy on a downward spiral.
Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of taking the state back to the "dark ages," Prime Minister Modi said that it is essential for West Bengal's progress that the state is freed from the Trinamool Congress.
"For Bengal's progress, freedom from the Trinamool Congress is necessary, because while the entire country is moving forward at a rapid pace, the Trinamool Congress is pushing Bengal backward," he added.
"The time of the Trinamool Congress is over. The next government will be a double-engine government of the BJP. After May 4, West Bengal will enter a new era of development," the Prime Minister said.
Recalling the rich history of Asansol and Durgapur, the key industrial zones of West Bengal, Prime Minister Modi added that earlier they remained the heart of the state and also served as a key commercial hub, with people from across the country coming to this region for work.
"From bicycles to railways, paper to steel, aluminium to glass, there was a long chain of factories here. But today, industries are fleeing from here and the youth of this area are being forced to leave their homes," he said.
He also added that the coal mines in this region, which once remained central to India's growth engine, have been looted by the syndicate and mafia linked to the Trinamool Congress.
Making a fervent call to the people to choose their options wisely in the upcoming state polls, PM Modi said that the people of West Bengal won't get fooled this time, as they want a "performing" government with a proven track record.
Highlighting a series of projects launched by the Centre, the Prime Minister said that the government has launched two Vande Bharat and two Amrit Bharat projects in this region, besides direct Asansol-Bokaro train link, and vowed to scale up developmental projects further.
"This election is to revive the industrial legacy of Asansol, this election is about freeing the state from 'Mafia Raj', and this can only be done by the BJP government," he roared at the rally, eliciting thunderous applause from the gathering.
Prime Minister Modi, on a whirlwind election tour of poll-bound West Bengal, described the Mamata Banerjee dispensation as a "heartless regime" and said that this election will see the ouster of the incumbent government.
He also accused Mamata Banerjee of creating an atmosphere of fear, much like what prevailed during the Left rule, and said that the Malda incident, where judicial officers were recently gheraoed and harassed by unruly elements, will serve as the final nail in the coffin of the Trinamool Congress.