Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a rally in Durgapur on Friday, launched a blistering attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, accusing it of jeopardising Bengal’s identity, fostering infiltration for vote-bank politics, and creating an environment hostile to investment and employment.
The PM alleged that the TMC’s rule was marked by “lies, lawlessness and loot.”
From slamming the alleged teacher recruitment scam to claiming that Bengal’s youth are being forced to migrate due to poor governance, Modi’s speech was a political offensive laying the groundwork for the BJP’s Bengal push.
Here are the key takeaways from his address:
TMC endangering Bengal’s identity and national security
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC), accused the ruling party in Bengal of putting the state’s identity and national security at risk by promoting infiltration for vote-bank politics.
Addressing a packed rally in Durgapur on Friday, Modi said, “TMC, because of its vested interests, has put the identity of West Bengal at stake. For the sake of vote-bank politics, infiltration is being encouraged here. A complete ecosystem has been created to support infiltrators.”
He claimed the TMC was “openly challenging constitutional institutions” and “defending illegal immigrants.”
Calling the situation a conspiracy against Bengali ‘ashmita’ (identity), Modi declared, “We will not allow this conspiracy to succeed.”
BJP alone respects Bengali ‘ashmita’
Positioning the BJP as the sole political party that genuinely respects and protects Bengali identity, Modi asserted that wherever the BJP is in power, the Bengali language and culture are valued.
“For the BJP, Bengali ‘ashmita’ is supreme. Wherever there is a BJP government, Bengalis are respected, Bengali language is respected,” he said, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
Turning the tables on the TMC amidst a row over alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, he said, “The real threat to Bengal’s dignity and future comes not from outside but from within, from a state government that thrives on lies, lawlessness, and loot.”
Modi's remarks come after Mamata Banerjee lead a protest march through Kolkata on Wednesday amid rains, alleging that drives were being conducted in BJP-ruled states to detain Bengali-speaking workers following a secret directive issued by the Centre to these governments.
TMC’s extreme appeasement politics
Modi lashed out at what he described as the TMC’s extreme appeasement politics, alleging it has led to the rise of infiltration and the exodus of Bengal’s youth.
“They are now on the streets to protect infiltrators. TMC’s corruption and appeasement are pushing the youth out of Bengal,” he said.
He also took a dig at the TMC, Left and Congress for decades of alleged neglect of Bengali pride.
“For years, the TMC and Left ran the government in Delhi with Congress but never considered recognising Bangla, whereas it was the BJP government that granted it classical language status,” he added.
Bengal’s lost economic glory and rising unemployment
Recalling Bengal’s past as an industrial and employment hub, Modi lamented the present state of affairs under the TMC government.
“People used to come here from across India for employment. But today, the youth of Bengal are forced to migrate even for small jobs. This is the result of TMC’s misrule,” he said.
He blamed the TMC’s governance for Bengal’s economic downturn, noting the state had become inhospitable for both industry and investors.
“TMC’s ‘Gunda Tax’ is deterring investment in Bengal. The state’s resources have fallen into the hands of the mafia, and government policies are deliberately designed to enable ministers to engage in blatant corruption,” he alleged.
'State government stands as a wall obstructing development'
Continuing his attack on TMC, Modi said that the West Bengal government stands as a wall obstructing the state's development.
“The day this wall of the TMC government falls, from that day Bengal will catch a new pace of development. Only when the TMC government goes will real change come,” he said.
In a bid to sway the people of Bengal in BJP's favour ahead of next year's assembly polls, Modi added that Bengal's problems can be solved when it gets a new government.
“I want to assure the youth that Bengal's current problems can be fixed. Once a new government is formed, the state can grow into a leading industrial hub in the country,” he said.
‘Teacher recruitment scam has darkened Bengal’s future’
Referring to the large-scale teacher recruitment scam that has left nearly 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff jobless, Modi pulled no punches.
“Whether it’s primary or higher education, the TMC government has handed Bengal’s education system to crime and corruption,” he said.
He accused the government of failing thousands of qualified candidates while pushing the future of lakhs of children into uncertainty due to a teacher shortage.
“This is not a coincidence, but the outcome of TMC’s corrupt system,” he stated. Modi also linked the state’s lack of law and order to economic decline, citing frequent violence, biased policing, and loss of investor confidence.
The PM said, “where riots like Murshidabad take place and police act in a biased manner, why will investors come here?”
TMC’s ‘politics of protection’
PM Modi also targeted the Mamata Banerjee government over the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital in August last year — a case that drew nationwide outrage.
The accused, Sanjoy Roy, a former civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, has since been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Modi alleged that the state government had attempted to shield the culprit, calling it yet another example of the TMC’s “politics of protection” and failure to uphold law and order.