The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, accusing him of acting more like BJP’s “prachar mantri” (BJP campaigner) rather than PM and alleged he has been skipping Parliament sessions during discussions on SIR and LPG shortage but visiting the poll-bound state.
Addressing a press conference after PM Modi’s rally in Kolkata’s Brigade Parade ground, TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh said, “I want to thank him (PM) for showing up, since he is not seen in Parliament even during important discussions on SIR or LPG shortage. He is not fulfilling his duties as the Prime Minister but is busy being the ‘Prachar Mantri’ of BJP and roaming everywhere. He does not want to discuss important matters and is showing you strength in Bengal?”
“There is a shortage of LPG. Cooking gas cylinders are not available even 45 days after booking and restaurants are forced to shut down operations due to this. However, we have seen how kachoris and jalebis were available at his rally at a time when people are struggling and cutting down on their menus,” she said.
Accusing PM Modi of building a “false narrative” about employment and the overall situation in the state, Ghosh said that while he claimed to have sanctioned thousands of crores for the state’s development, the Centre had actually withheld around Rs 2 lakh crore of dues to the state.
“He has claimed to have sanctioned Rs 18,000 crore to Bengal as a ‘lollipop’. But in reality, he has blocked Rs 2 lakh-crore dues to the state for various projects, from the 100 days’ work scheme, Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, to mid-day meal scheme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,” she said.
She also rejected Modi’s claims on employment in the state and said that West Bengal has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country at 3.7 per cent.
“Do you have a count of how many people or youth have left the country? In terms of unemployment rate, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand is the highest at 8.9% followed by Andhra Pradesh with 8.2%. In Rajasthan, rural unemployment rate is 7.8% and urban unemployment is 13.7%. In Madhya Pradesh, 9,76,000 people applied for 7,500 posts for constables. West Bengal has an unemployment rate of 3.7%,” Ghosh said.
Hitting out PM Modi over corruption in the BJP, Ghosh said, “They spoke about cut money and levelled allegations against TMC, but you people are sitting on piles of corruption. In the electoral bonds case, the highest amount was with BJP at Rs 8,400 crore. You have used agencies like CBI and ED to threaten businessmen. You speak about Skill India but the campaign has a history of corruption worth Rs 14,000 crore. In the Rafale deal, Rs 41,205 crore was spent for just 36 aircraft. It is under PM Modi that bank fraud worth Rs 66,000 crore has taken place — be it Nirav Modi or Mehul Choksi — and PM Modi can’t do anything about them.”
Questioning why the BJP used the Dakhineshwar Temple as a backdrop for the rally, Ghosh said, “TMC organises so many rallies and meetings almost regularly. When did you see the party put up a backdrop of a temple, mosque, or church? The TMC does not have to do these things for people’s votes.”
Accusing the PM of delivering an “instigative” speech, Ghosh said, “This is a very dangerous matter. If you take our politeness as our weakness, then you are mistaken. He spoke of settling scores, but if we start counting his scores, where will he go?”
She also said that as far as women safety is concerned, out of the top five states that are considered unsafe for women, four are BJP-ruled, and cited Hathras, Ballia, Bharuch incidents.
Taking potshots at the PM, state education minister Bratya Basu alleged that Modi’s repeated references to “infiltrators”, “Bangladeshis” and Rohingya were unsubstantiated claims.
“Today, the PM started and ended his speech in Bengali but in BJP-ruled states, Bengali-speaking people are being attacked and called Bangladeshi infiltrators,” Basu said.
Slamming PM Modi over Bengal SIR, Basu said, “You have removed around 63 lakh names from voter rolls, over 200 people have died. It was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who stood by them and gave a member from each of the families a job. How many among the 63 lakh names missing from the electoral rolls were ghuspaithiyas (infiltrators)”? Basu questioned.
He also alleged that as per data by Human Rights Watch, out of the 173 speeches of PM Modi, 110 speeches are hateful and humiliating towards minorities.
Bengal Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja, who was also present at the presser, questioned the BJP’s call for “parivartan”, alleging that “hooligans sheltered by the BJP” had attacked her residence earlier in the day.
“Is PM Modi not the leader of the country? He spoke of “settling scores”, and this is what happened today. A state minister was attacked. People in buses were carrying sticks, stones, bricks, and even bombs. How can they travel with such things to a VIP rally?” Panja said.
Further questioning the presence of “outsiders” in the rally, she said, “Who are these people that you have brought to fill the ground? They cannot do this in Bengal. Everything will be investigated.”