Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal for its alleged misrule and appealed to voters to oust the TMC from power in the upcoming assembly polls.
Addressing a gathering in Haldia, the backyard of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Modi said that the ruling dispensation in the state was "pulling Bengal back".
"The country is walking on the path of progress, while TMC's 'nirmam sarkar' is pulling Bengal back. To usher in 'Viksit Bengal', it's essential that the party is removed from power," he claimed.
He also alleged that the "TMC cheated Bengal's youth on two counts -- destroyed the private sector and looted government posts for money".
"Investment does not come in an atmosphere of fear, but in a climate of trust that the BJP will bring in Bengal," Modi said at the industrial hub.
He accused the TMC of following a "religion-based reservation policy to secure its vote bank".
"People's huge attendance at Haldia rally despite inclement weather is an indicator of change in Bengal, and a sign of TMC's exit," the Prime Minister asserted.
Modi said, "The assembly poll result in Nadigram five years ago will be repeated in Bhabanipur this time." Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021 and is pitted against the incumbent chief minister at her bastion in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur.
Criticising the Trinamool Congress, Modi said, "Even in 100 years, the TMC cannot absolve itself of sins it committed against Bengal's youth." Batting for a double-engine government in West Bengal, the Prime Minister told the gathering that the state "would not benefit by opposing the PM, but will profit only when a PM and a CM act in unison".
He promised the people of West Bengal of making the state self-sufficient in fisheries and the seafood sector, while highlighting that the BJP government at the Centre has set up a dedicated ministry for the welfare of the fisherfolk and allotted a record budget for them.
Published on April 9, 2026