PM Modi links Trinamool to ‘tukde-tukde’ gang, raises concerns over Siliguri Corridor's security at Bengal Rally
Telegraph | 13 April 2026
At an election rally in Siliguri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the Trinamool Congress over its politics in West Bengal and linked it to concerns around national security and the Siliguri Corridor.
Addressing a public meeting at Kawakhali ground, he said the narrow stretch in north Bengal holds strategic importance for the country.
“The country has a 'tukde-tukde' (balkanisation) gang, and it threatened to cut off the Siliguri Corridor. They wanted to separate the Northeast from the country. TMC, which indulges in appeasement politics, supports such people from the streets to Parliament. That is the real face of TMC,” he said.
The Siliguri Corridor, known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, connects mainland India to the Northeast. It is about 20–22 km wide at its narrowest point and sits close to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the China border.
Modi called it “the nation's corridor of defence as well as prosperity” and said the Centre is working on infrastructure projects in the region, including the Sevoke-Rangpo railway line that will link Sikkim with Siliguri.
“The project will not only ensure rail connectivity between Bengal and Sikkim, but it will also strengthen trade and tourism in the region, whose direct benefit can be reaped by the youth of Darjeeling,” he said.
He asked voters to back a ‘double engine’ government, saying development would move faster if the BJP comes to power in the state. The Prime Minister also raised questions over state spending and governance.
He said, “While the Mamata Banerjee government has allotted Rs 6,000 crore for Madrasa development in its state budget, its fund allotment for the entire north Bengal region is nowhere sufficient.”
“The people of Bengal are now seeking answers from the TMC for every moment it spent in power over the last 15 years,” he said.
He added that central schemes had not been fully implemented in the state. “The TMC has destroyed the state during its 15-year tenure and halted implementation of central schemes like the one for providing piped drinking water to remote tribal areas, as a result of which less than 25 per cent of work could be completed.”
Calling the state government “nirmam”, he also spoke about difficulties in north Bengal’s tea garden belt.
He referred to illegal infiltration and said, “It will be too late if the infiltration menace is not stopped right away. 'Kamal khilao, ghuspetia bhagao' (vote for lotus and drive infiltrators away).”
Modi also spoke about the response he received during his visit to the region.
“The excitement and energy I witnessed among the people in the last few days has convinced me that TMC's exit is fixed. My travel from the Badgodra airport to the hotel on Saturday turned out to be a 15-km road show as thousands of people, from children to senior citizens, had gathered. It blew my mind and humbled me with respect for you,” he said.
“As a return gift to the blessings you have showered on me, I promise to dedicate my life to you and will keep fighting for you till my last breath,” he added.
The Prime Minister was campaigning for BJP candidates in Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, where polling will be held in the first phase on April 23. Counting is scheduled for May 4.