PM Modi says Bengal on fast development track under NDA's double-engine government

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the NDA's 'double-engine' government in West Bengal has put the state on a fast development track after decades of "misrule" by the Congress, the Left and the Trinamool Congress. He accused the TMC of appeasement politics, "cut-money" and "syndicate raj", and said the new government was focused on growth, development and security.

Addressing a public rally at Tarakeswar in Hooghly district on Paschimbanga Diwas, Modi said peace, social harmony and stability were essential for Bengal's development.

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"Bengal will create new history with a focus on growth, development and the security of the people. The foundations for economic and industrial progress are being laid, and the whole country is watching," he said.

Claiming that the era of "cut-money" and syndicate raj was over, Modi said, "Those who looted the people are returning the money, going to jail and apologising to the public."

Linking Bengal's development to the Centre's Mission Purvoday and the goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, Modi said the eastern state would play a leading role in India's growth story.

The Prime Minister launched, dedicated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth ₹18,880 crore during the visit.

In his address, Modi also launched a sharp attack on the Congress, the Left and the TMC over Bengal's political history. He alleged that after Partition, the Congress "bowed before conspiratorial forces" and later sought to erase the history and significance of 'Paschimbanga Divas', claiming Bengal's past had been "whitewashed" for political reasons.

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Referring to June 20 as Paschimbanga Diwas, Modi said the younger generation should know the significance of the day and Mookerjee's role in ensuring that West Bengal remained part of India after Independence.

"First the Congress, then the Left and later the Trinamool pushed Bengal backwards. We must now erase the mistakes of the past and build a new history," he said, while alleging that previous governments had turned the state into a hub of illegal infiltration.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari announced that Mookerjee's ancestral home would be converted into a museum and that a 125-foot statue of the Jana Sangh founder would be installed.

Modi also appealed to farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices under the Centre's "Khet Bachao" initiative by reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and promoting natural farming to protect the environment.