Narendra Modi at Mahajati Sadan in Calcutta on Tuesday. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Calcutta, April 9: Narendra Modi today said he was “happy” to be at Mahajati Sadan as it was associated with Rabindranath Tagore and Subhas Bose, making light of Bengal’s refusal to let the BJP hold its convention at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

The Gujarat chief minister also chose not to touch on the state of affairs in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal or the winds of “paribartan” blowing through it, although the state BJP has been vocal about it.

“I am happy to be here, associated with the memories of Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore and Subhas Chandra Bose,” Modi told some 7,000 party workers as leaders perched on the dais looked the other way. The reference was to Tagore and Bose having laid the foundation stone of Mahajati Sadan in 1939.

During his 50-minute speech in Hindi, Modi talked of the “great sons” of Bengal like Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda and Shyama Prasad Mookerjee but skirted the so-called “paribartan” in the state.

He, however, tried to pep up his party workers. “Every citizen has the right to support any political party. If there is any attempt to pressure us into submission, the BJP will move ahead,” he said.

“You have been working for the party here, knowing well that it is nowhere near coming to power. This is borne out of ideals and principles.

“I am confident your sacrifice, your hard work will bear fruit one day. A time will come when the people of Bengal will tire of parties around it and will embrace you,” he said to loud applause.

Modi, however, did not miss the opportunity to do some more Congress-bashing.

“What is the reason that in this small time-frame the people of this country have started hating the Congress government? Probably this is the first government seated in Delhi towards which the people have so much of animosity,” he said.

“Should the Congress remain in this country? Should it be allowed to enter the corridors of power? Isn’t it our duty to throw it out by its roots? We have to take the pledge of making India free from the Congress.”

Modi also took a jab at the debate in the Congress about twin power centres.

“I can’t understand what to make of this dispute. Can you see power anywhere? If there is power, only then there can be talk of one or more power centres. Only changing the battery will not make the car run.

“I will request the Bengal media to take interviews of 100 Congress leaders and ask them one question: who is the leader of the country? Not one of them is going to reply Manmohan Singh. How can a person who is not accepted by party workers as the party’s leader and the country’s leader be the Prime Minister?” Modi asked.