Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking at a rally in West Bengal's Kharagpur (PTI photo)
Highlights
- PM Modi held his first election campaign rally in West Bengal.
- He attacked the ruling Trinamool party over the Narada sting.
- Senior party leaders were seen allegedly accepting bribes in the video.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal today, citing issues from corruption to law and order and governance.
"Pehle Saradha fir Narda (first Sharda, then Narada) -- the entire leadership is in front of the camera, asking for hafta... is this the parivartan you were asking for?" PM Modi said, referring to a Ponzi scam and a sting operation. The first had wiped out the meagre savings of a chunk of the rural population and another that purportedly showed ministers and leaders of Trinamool Congress accepting bribe.
Claiming when the Mamata Banerjee government came to power, "Even I was under the impression that paribartan (change) will come," the Prime Minister said. "The only paribartan that took place was in Didi's behaviour and in her promises."
The only change that has come, he said, was in the increased number of "crude bomb warehouses". The BJP had been lately taking on the government about the law and order issue. "You can kidnap women, carry out blasts, kill innocents and then ask for votes... You can win elections like this but not win people's hearts," PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister was speaking at a rally in Kharagpur - his first in the state which goes to polls in April. The election is crucial for the BJP which is looking at increasing its numbers in Bengal. As of now, the party is yet to win an assembly seat in the state, though it had won two seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Taking a further dig at the ruling Trinamool Congress's promises of change, he said, "What happened to all industries that used to flourish in Bengal? I want to ask the youth, do you have any employment opportunities? Who is responsible for destroying your future? Do you want to re-elect them?"
Taking on the Congress and the Left, he said, "The Congress and communists fight each other in Kerala and support each other in Bengal. Why can't they both admit that they are opportunists? Didi too is complicit. She said in a meeting that the only threat that confronts Bengal is the BJP, not the Congress or the communists."