Hooghly (West Bengal) [India], April 26 : Continuing his attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the second phase of West Bengal polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the ruling party in the State of "betraying" its own core slogan of 'Maa, Maati, Manush, and turning into a "ruthless" government whose credibility has dwindled to "zero".
Addressing an election rally in Arambagh in Hooghly, PM Modi alleged the "ruthless TMC government" is run by goons or acts only after orders from the High Court or the Supreme Court.
"The Supreme Court recently dealt a resounding blow to the TMC over the coal scam. You saw that the TMC government was obstructing the investigation. Attempts were made to destroy evidence. The Supreme Court described this as a very serious matter. The court even considered such actions a threat to democracy. This shows that the TMC has betrayed everyone--mother, land, and humanity. That's why TMC leaders no longer even utter the words 'Maa,' 'Maati,' and 'Manush,' because they have made the 'Maa' cry, handed over 'Maati' to infiltrators and syndicates, and the sword of violence, oppression, and migration hangs over 'Maanush'," he said.
Earlier on April 22, the Supreme Court bench said the alleged interference by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in the midst of an investigation being carried out by a Central agency, has "put the entire democracy in jeopardy".
"TMC leaders no longer even utter these words," PM Modi said, adding that the women of Bengal have now "risen against the ruthless TMC government," a shift he said was visible in the record voting numbers on April 23, the first phase of polling in the Assembly elections.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister alleged that the State's administrative centre, Nabanna, is not in control, and the real authority lies in the hands of "goons" or depends upon the judiciary's intervention.
"You placed great trust in the TMC government here... In no time, it has transformed into a ruthless government. The TMC's ruthless government doesn't operate from the Nabanna Secretariat. This government is either run by goons, or it only takes action after orders from the High Court and Supreme Court," he said.
PM Modi cited the recent RG Kar hospital rape case and the teacher recruitment scam as evidence for his statement that justice is only served through judicial intervention. "A doctor at RG Kar Hospital was raped and murdered. No one had faith in the TMC government's investigation. People went to court, and the court ordered a CBI investigation," he said.
"The TMC government has lost the trust of Bengal's people here due to its misdeeds. That's why they are constantly forced to go to court. I have not one, but numerous examples of this. Take the teacher recruitment scam case... A sensitive government would have investigated honestly, but the court had to order the probe, meaning the TMC government's credibility is zero," he added.
He painted a grim picture for the safety of women in the state, alleging that incidents of rapes, gang rapes and murders are a daily occurrence, alleging TMC leaders's involvent in the cases.
"Every day, news of rape, gang rape, and murder emerges in Bengal. During the 15 years of Maha Jungle Raj, numerous incidents of rape and murder have occurred. The R.G. Kar Medical College rape and murder, the Kasba Law College rape, the Park Street gang rape... -there are countless such incidents in which crimes have either occurred in schools or colleges or where girls have been harassed while on duty, and in most cases, TMC leaders are involved. Goons fostered by the TMC roam freely here, and what does the TMC government do? This ruthless government protects the goons," he said.
Further, the PM alleged that "The TMC syndicates have played a big game with potato farmers. These syndicates buy potatoes from farmers at Rs 2-3 per kg and then sell them at ₹25-30 per kg."
"The situation is such that in 15 years, the TMC has left farmers to take extreme steps," he said.
Looking ahead to a potential BJP administration, the Prime Minister outlined promises for women's welfare, focusing on women's empowerment and farmers' welfare.
"Empowering women is the top priority of our government. The BJP is committed to providing new opportunities to our sisters and daughters. This is the thinking behind the Lakhpati Didi campaign. Under this, the BJP government to be formed here will help 75 lakh sisters of Bengal so that they become Lakhpati Didis, so that they can earn more than one lakh rupees every year. Bengal's daughters will pursue employment of their choice, and for this, they will receive Mudra loans up to 20 lakh rupees," he said.
Polling for Phase I of the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal recording a significantly higher voter turnout of 91.78 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies.
The polling for the second phase for the remaining 142 Assembly seats in West Bengal is scheduled for April 29 with counting of votes to take place on May 4.