Haldia (West Bengal) [India], April 9 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reiterated his "nirmam sarkaar" criticism of the Trinamool Congress-led (TMC) West Bengal government, while emphasising the "storm of poribortan (change)" across the state.
Addressing a public rally here, the Prime Minister praised the enthusiasm of the public, calling it a reflection of the BJP's victory in the upcoming elections.
Referring to West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari's victory against CM Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in the 2021 elections, PM Modi noted that the "miracle" which took place in the previous elections will be followed this time in Bhabanipur and across the state.
"I have seen that this time Bengal has decided to defeat every adverse situation. BJP's victory is visible in this enthusiasm and excitement. This is a storm of 'poribortan' (change). This is the announcement of the departure of the 'nirmam sarkaar' of TMC. Medinipur and Nandigram showed the path of change five years ago, and now the entire West Bengal has started walking on that same path of transformation. The miracle that Nandigram did five years ago is going to be repeated in Bhabanipur this time, and across the whole of Bengal," PM Modi said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari against Chief Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur, which has been a strong bastion for the TMC supremo since 2011. Adhikari, who earlier defeated Mamata in the 2021 elections in Nandigram, is once again taking on Banerjee in a straightforward clash.
The PM further called the upcoming West Bengal assembly polls an important factor for restoring "Bengal's glory" and strengthening the foundation of a "developed Bengal". He further accused the TMC government of adding deadlocks to West Bengal's growth while emphasising India's growing economy across other states of the country.
"This election in Bengal is not an ordinary election. It is an election to re-establish Bengal's glory. It is an election to strengthen the foundation of a "developed Bengal". The first and most important step will be the farewell of the nirmam sarkaar. For building a developed Bengal, the departure of the nirmam sarkaar is very necessary. India today is progressing at a fast pace. It has the fastest growth in the world, which means many states are moving forward and trying to do something good. But while the country is moving ahead, the nirmam sarkaar of TMC is pushing Bengal backward," said the Prime Minister.
Highlighting the importance of West Bengal towards India's development during the colonial era, the Prime Minister noted that at present, the TMC government has brought down all the development parameters in the state. He stressed that under the TMC regime, all the factories in Haldia have been shut, whereas only the shops of rioters and criminals have thrived.
"The Bengal that once formed the foundation of India's progress, that strengthened India's manufacturing and trade, has been brought down so much on all development parameters by TMC. Who knows this situation better than Medinipur and Haldia? Centuries ago, the historic Tamralipta was a flourishing port city where trade happened with the entire world. Haldia was one of the major industrial centres of modern India. But in recent decades, factories in Haldia have shut down," PM Modi said.
"Once people from all over the country came to Haldia; today, the youth from here are migrating to places like Andaman and Odisha in search of work. Under the nirmam sarkaar of TMC, only the factories of infiltrators have flourished, and the shops of rioters and criminals have thrived. The nirmam sarkaar has developed industries of fake document creation and cattle smuggling," he added.
The polling for the 294-member Assembly in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
In the last assembly election in the state, held in eight phases in 2021, the Trinamool Congress recorded a landslide victory with 213 seats amid an intense contest with the BJP, which jumped to 77 seats. Congress and Left Front drew a blank in the last state polls.
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