‘TMC has destroyed Bengal’: Kiren Rijiju claims ‘strong wave’ for BJP in state; vows to revive growth amid assembly polls
Times of India | 28 April 2026
KOLKATA: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said there is a strong wave in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, adding that the party wants the state to once again become a growth engine of the country.
Rijiju told ANI that people believe only the BJP can restore Bengal after what he described as the Trinamool Congress “destroying” the state.
"In Bengal, the picture has become very clear. I went there and met a lot of people, had meetings. Prime Minister Modi's wave, BJP's wave, has reached the grassroots. And people have come to know that the way Trinamool Congress has destroyed West Bengal, only BJP can clean it up. This has become very clear," he said.
"It is very important for us that there is a BJP government in Bengal because the message that Prime Minister Modi has sent is very clear. West Bengal used to play leadership role whether it is social, political or related aspects. Northeast India was also dependent on West Bengal, and was positively influenced, there was influence of Bengali community, culture...the Northeast gained from Bengal's economy. Now the state has gone down in perception, Northeast followed Bengal but the state now lags in income, it is a matter of pain," he added.
He said the state, having been ruled by the Congress, Left parties, and the Trinamool Congress, has witnessed a decline.
"Prime Minister Modi's message is to make West Bengal an economic engine again and make Calcutta not only a city of joy but also a city of the future. The hope that Prime Minister Modi is giving to Calcutta and West Bengal, his winning trust of people, it has reached the grassroots," he added.
Responding to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Rijiju said the exercise was necessary to ensure the integrity of voter lists.
"SIR should be done because the one who are illegal immigrants, their name should be removed, people who are dead, their names should be deleted. Why they oppose, I fail to understand"
Answering a question about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dig at PM Modi over his "jhalmuri break" during campaign in West Bengal polls, Rijiju said that anyone who tragets the PM, their political graph will go down. "Anyone who targets PM Modi, people do not like..." he said.
Polling for the second phase, covering 142 Assembly seats in West Bengal, will take place on Wednesday. The first phase was held on April 23, and the results will be declared on May 4.