Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday charged the Trinamool Congress government with "playing with national security by protecting infiltrators" for vote-bank politics, and said ending the ruling party’s “maha jungle raj” was vital to restore law and order, development and investor confidence in the state.
With the state assembly polls a few months away, Modi framed the electoral contest as one between “maha- jungle raj and good governance" and urged voters to back the BJP’s “double-engine government” model.
Addressing a rally at Singur in Hooghly district, a place etched in Bengal’s political memory for the 2008 agitation by Trinamool against land acquisition that forced Tata Motors to pull out its small car project, he said infiltrators, who had settled in the state using forged documents, must be identified and sent back.
“Trinamool is playing with national security. They are trying to protect infiltrators because they consider them their vote bank,” Modi said, alleging that illegal immigrants along Bengal’s borders had been allowed to flourish under the "state government’s watch".
The Prime Minister also said, “Border fencing has been stalled for years. Fake documents are being made. It is time to stop infiltration completely and identify and send back those who entered with forged papers. The BJP government will do it."
Modi accused the Trinamool Congress government of stonewalling critical security measures, saying that for the last several years, "the Centre has been writing to the state government seeking land for fencing, but nothing has been done".
“Trinamool can go to any extent to protect infiltrators by giving them shelter and creating fake documents,” Modi said, urging voters to back the BJP to "secure borders, restore law and order and put Bengal back on the path of growth".
Calling for a change of guard, the prime minister said it was essential to oust the Trinamool Congress's “maha jungle raj” and bring in a BJP government committed to good governance.
“Shouldn’t the Trinamool government be punished for acting against the interests of the people of Bengal?” he asked, asserting that voters across the country were increasingly punishing governments that blocked development and welfare delivery.
Drawing a parallel with the erstwhile AAP regime in New Delhi, Modi said a government there had earlier stalled central schemes but was voted out.
“Today, Ayushman Bharat is benefiting the poor there. The people of Bengal have also decided to teach the Trinamool Congress a lesson so that a BJP government is formed and Ayushman Bharat is implemented here,” he said.
The prime minister alleged that rioters, syndicates and mafia enjoyed a "free run in Bengal under the Trinamool rule.
“Industry and investment will come only when law and order improves. Syndicate tax and mafia rule will end only under the BJP. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
Modi also said voters must ensure that alleged incidents of land grabbing and rape in Sandeshkhali are not repeated and that teachers do not lose their jobs due to corruption.
“Rape of college students, violence and corruption in education will stop only when the BJP comes to power,” he said, alleging that the education system was “controlled by mafia”.
Returning to Singur’s symbolism, Modi said Bengal’s industrial decline was rooted in the politics of agitation and syndicates.
“The smallest of Trinamool Congress leaders have begun considering themselves local fiefdom owners,” he alleged, reiterating that a BJP government would end syndicate raj and mafia rule.
Accusing the TMC of being “enemies of women, youth and farmers”, Modi claimed that daughters were unsafe and the future of Bengal’s youth was being compromised. “Women and youth must raise their voices. Under the Trinamool's rule, education is ruined by corruption,” he said.
He also alleged that the Trinamool Congress government was deliberately blocking central schemes out of political hostility. “I constantly strive to serve Bengal’s youth, farmers, mothers and sisters, but the Trinamool government does not allow central schemes to reach you. If they have a problem with Modi or the BJP, that is understandable. But they are taking revenge on the people of Bengal,” he claimed.
Citing fishermen as an example, Modi said lakhs of families dependent on fishing were being deprived of benefits due to the state government’s "non-cooperation".
“The Centre created a digital platform for fishermen and states are registering them, but in Bengal this work is stalled,” he said, adding that fishermen were unable to benefit from schemes like the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana.
Modi also accused the Trinamool Congress of denying Bengal’s children access to better education by refusing to implement PM SHRI schools.
Pitching his development plank, the prime minister said the BJP would follow a “dual model of heritage and development (virasat aur vikaas)” in Bengal. He cited UNESCO’s heritage status for Durga Puja as a Centre-backed initiative and promised to promote local products under the “one district, one product” model.
Highlighting the BJP’s governance record, Modi cited Tripura as an example of the “double-engine” model. “Earlier, only four out of 100 homes had tap water. Today, 85 out of 100 homes receive tap water. In Bengal, half the population still lacks this facility. The BJP will change this. It is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
“The people of Bengal will punish the cruel Trinamool government,” Modi claimed.
Modi had struck a similar note a day earlier in Malda, where he came armed with the “infiltrator” pitch to target the ruling Trinamool ahead of the Assembly polls.
Addressing a public meeting in Sahapur, he referred to BJP-ruled states around Bengal and accused the Trinamool Congress of practising “politics of hate”.
Across two days of rallies in Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed silent on Singur’s land issue, even while addressing a meeting there, and made no major political intervention during his speeches.