Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday took a swipe at Modi, saying he had inadvertently become the "biggest brand ambassador" for West Bengal tourism by showcasing the state's Ganga ghats, roads and street food during campaign visits.

"If Bengal had not been promoted this way- how beautiful the Ganga is, how developed the roads of Jhargram are -- people of the country would not have known or understood. The biggest brand ambassador for tourism of Mamata Banerjee's Ma-Mati-Manush government is Narendra Modi," he said.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said Prime Minister Narendra Modi could enjoy a boat ride on the Hooghly in the state because its waters were clean, unlike the Yamuna in Delhi, which she alleged was polluted.

Addressing an election meeting in Howrah, Banerjee said Modi would not be able to undertake a similar boat ride on the Yamuna in the national capital due to pollution, blaming the BJP-led administration there for the river's condition.

She said it was good that the prime minister chose to take a boat ride on the Hooghly River, where riverfront areas had been beautified by the state government and civic bodies, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Responding to Modi's claims about women's safety in Bengal, Banerjee said he should assess the situation himself and compare it with BJP-ruled states.

"See how safe women are here- in the city, in the state, on the streets- unlike BJP-ruled places like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, where incidents of attacks on women are reported every day," she said.

"Why do you forget about Hathras and Delhi? Please go to Manipur, which is burning. Why are you silent on Manipur?" she asked.

Turning the guns on Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, she said, "You (BJP) give tickets to those who rape women and garland rapists."

She also came down heavily on Modi over his alleged remarks on Jadavpur University, saying such comments undermine a premier institution known for academic excellence.

In a post on X, Banerjee said she was "pained" by the prime minister's attempt to associate "anarchy" with a section of students of the university and questioned whether such remarks were in keeping with the decorum expected from the country's highest office.

"Jadavpur University has consistently secured top ranks in the government of India's NIRF framework. It is a centre of excellence. To insult its students is to insult merit, intellect and the spirit of education," Banerjee said.

Banerjee went on to draw a distinction between democratic dissent and what she termed "real anarchy", alleging that misuse of state power, suppression of voices, and lack of accountability posed greater threats to democracy.

"Students protesting do not constitute a breakdown of democracy, it is democracy in motion," she said, urging the PM not to defame an institution rooted in Bengal's intellectual and nationalist legacy.

Referring to the university's historical inspiration from figures such as Sri Aurobindo, Banerjee said Bengal's educational heritage should be respected rather than disparaged.

At a rally in Howrah later in the day, Banerjee said Modi has insulted JU as well as higher educational institutions like Calcutta University, Presidency University and St Xavier's University, which are known for their academic excellence and rich talent pool of students, researchers and academics in the country and abroad for years.

"Before speaking in such a way about JU, he must check the NIRF rankings of JU and CU currently and in past years. Such comments by the PM show his anti-Bengal, undemocratic mindset against free thinking," she said.

Modi on Friday launched a blistering attack on the ruling TMC, alleging that the Mamata Banerjee-led party had destroyed the state's identity through corruption and infiltration and turned premier institutions like Jadavpur University into symbols of disorder and political intimidation.

The prime minister also referred to frequent unrest at Jadavpur University, saying the premier institution, once respected globally for its academic legacy, had become a symbol of anarchy under the present dispensation.

"Jadavpur University was once spoken of with great respect. Its foundation was built on strong academic values. But today, people are being threatened, and students are being forced to protest," he said.

Claiming that anti-national slogans were being written on campus walls and students were being pushed into protests instead of studies, Modi said a government that could not protect its own premier educational institutions could not safeguard Bengal's future.

"We do not want anarchy; we want a healthy academic environment. We want dialogue here, not threats," he said.