Trinamool is looting Bengal, BJP will restore stalled development: Prime Minister Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Trinamool Congress of looting West Bengal, saying that stalled development work in the state can resume only when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power.

Addressing a public rally here, PM Modi said that all the neighboring states of Bengal have "Sonar Bangla" (good governance) governments. He said that Odisha, Tripura, Assam, and Bihar have BJP governments, and now Bengal should also have a BJP government.

After flagging off the country's first Vande Bharat sleeper train between Howrah and Guwahati, PM Modi said at the rally that the rapid development of West Bengal is a priority for the BJP. It is a matter of joy that the country's first Vande Bharat sleeper train is starting from Bengal.

PM Modi said, "I am working for the development of Bengal. I want the government's schemes to reach the actual beneficiaries, but that is not happening. The Trinamool government in Bengal is very ruthless. Whatever money the central government sends for Bengal's development, the Trinamool people loot it. They do not care about the suffering of the people; they are busy filling their own coffers."

He said, "I want the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to be implemented here, but Bengal is the only state in the country where this scheme is not being implemented. In the last few years, crores of poor people in the country have availed of free treatment, but in Trinamool-ruled Bengal, my brothers and sisters are not allowed to take advantage of Ayushman Bharat. It is necessary to bid farewell to such a ruthless government in Bengal."

PM Modi further said, "The BJP government at the Center is running the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, which provides free electricity. Lakhs of families have installed solar plants in their homes through this scheme. I want the people of Bengal to also benefit from this scheme and their electricity bills to become zero, but the Trinamool government is not allowing such schemes to move forward."

He said that the welfare of the people of Bengal will happen only when there is a BJP government that promotes development instead of the Trinamool government that hinders development. He said, "Neither are factories being set up here, nor are farmers getting facilities. Farmers from Malda and Murshidabad have to migrate for a living. There is no one to look after the silk farmers. The common farmers are miserable."

Referring to the flood-affected areas of the state, he said that if the BJP comes to power in Bengal, strong arrangements will be made to protect the Ganga, Mahananda, and Fulahar rivers from floods. PM Modi expressed concern over the security of the Bangladesh border, saying, "Infiltration is a big challenge for Bengal. Even prosperous countries are expelling illegal infiltrators from their territories. It is very necessary to remove infiltrators from West Bengal, but it is not possible with the Trinamool government in power."

He alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government has been playing a game of settling and voting for infiltrators for years. "Infiltrators are snatching away the rights of local people, employment, and committing atrocities against sisters and daughters, and are also increasing crimes like terrorism. Riots are also increasing in several areas of West Bengal, including Malda and Murshidabad. The nexus between infiltrators and those in power has to be broken. As soon as the BJP government is formed, a big action will be taken against infiltration and infiltrators."

He said, "Under Trinamool rule, women are not even safe in schools and colleges. There is such ruthlessness that the daughters are not heard, and the victims have to go to the courts again and again." PM Modi said that now is the time for good governance in Bengal. He also raised slogans of "Poriborton er dorcar, BJP sarkar" (time for change, BJP government) at the rally.