Haldia (WB), Feb 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday tore into the Mamata Banerjee government, alleging it ‘criminalised politics, institutionalised corruption and politicised the police’.
He insisted instead of ‘mamta’ (affection) people suffered ‘nirmamta’ (cruelty) under her rule. Addressing his first public rally in the state ahead of the assembly polls, he exuded confidence about forming the next government, saying the TMC government committed “several fouls in the last 10 years and the time has come to show it the ‘Ram Card’ in the assembly elections”.
Cautioning people about “match-fixing” between the TMC, Congress and the Left, Modi said only a BJP government can free the state of “misgovernance” and bring about a “real change” in their lives as was being experienced in Tripura. He assailed the West Bengal government for not implementing central schemes like Ayushman Bharat and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi in the state, and asserted that once the BJP formed its government it will take a decision at the very first cabinet meeting to execute all such stalled programmes.
“Bengal expected ‘mamta’ (affection) from Mamata Banerjee but got ‘nirmamta’ (cruelty) in the last 10 years… The TMC government is just a rebirth of the misrule of the Left Front government in the state, rebirth of corruption, of crime and criminals, of violence and attack on democracy” he alleged. Mocking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for getting angry over slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, Modi wondered why she remained silent when conspiracies were hatched to malign the country. “She gets angry when she hears slogans hailing the motherland. She gets angry when you demand your rights. But she remains silent when conspiracies are hatched to malign the nation,” he said.
Modi was referring to Banerjee’s refusal to deliver her speech at a function to mark the 125th birthday of West Bengal’s legendary freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial after “Jai Shri Ram’ slogans greeted her. “There are some conspirators who’re trying to destroy India’s image associated with tea and yoga– made famous by iconic indians– across the world. Has Didi spoken anything about these conspirators? The country will respond to such conspiracies with all the force at its command,” he said. The prime minister was apparently referring to Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg’s controversial ‘toolkit’, which she tweeted and then deleted, outlining ways in which people can participate in the farmers protest. One of the points reportedly mentioned there was to “disrupt yoga and chai image of India in general”. Referring to the game of football, a hugely popular sport in Bengal, Modi said that the people of the state are ready to show “Ram Card” to TMC now.
“Bengal is a state that loves football. In football parlance, I want to say that the TMC government has committed many fouls. From corruption, misgovernance, extortion, to attack on opposition workers”. (PTI)
