Need to get rid of ‘maha jungle raaj’ in Bengal: PM Modi

KOlkata: ground government minister Narendra Modi said on sat that endure month Bihar has rejected the “jungle raaj” by voting the subject Democratic Alliance (NDA) to power and now the people of West Bengal will have to get rid of the “maha jungle raj” that’s continuing in the state.“After the NDA came to power in Bihar with a huge mandate last month, I had said that Ganga ji flows down Bihar and touches Bengal. Bihar has paved the way for the BJP’s victory in Bengal. Bihar has rejected ‘jungle raaj’ in one voice. Bihar has given more seats to BJP-NDA than what it gave 20 years ago,” he said while virtually addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Nadia district.“Now we need to get rid of the maha jungle raaj that’s continuing in West Bengal. That’s why every child, every village, every city and every lane and locality is saying ‘Banchte chai, BJP tai’ (Need BJP to survive),” he added.“After Bengal got freedom from the red-flags, people hoped that something good would happen. But unfortunately, the TMC acquired all the evils from the Left, and has become worse. That’s why Tripura is developing fast and Bengal is fast getting destroyed because of the TMC. Bengal needs a double-engine government like the BJP which can work to bring back its lost glory,” he said.Modi was scheduled to address two rallies at Ranaghat in Nadia on Saturday. His helicopter, however, couldn’t land in Taherpur due to heavy fog and returned to Kolkata. He addressed the gathering over phone from Kolkata airport before flying to Assam.Meanwhile, at least three BJP workers were killed and one was injured after being hit by a train while they were on their way to attend the Prime Minister’s rally. Modi condoled the deaths in his speech.Modi’s visit comes at a time when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is continuing in West Bengal and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been attacking the BJP-led Centre and Election Commission of India (ECI) over this. More than 5.8 million names of dead, duplicate, shifted and absent voters have been dropped from the draft roll. Nadia, where the Prime Minister’s twin rallies were scheduled to be held, is a stronghold of the Matua community. The Matuas are a separate Hindu sect who had largely migrated from Bangladesh during 1947 and 1971. A large chunk of this community couldn’t be mapped during the ongoing SIR.“The TMC is opposing SIR in West Bengal to shield the infiltrators. Slogans like ‘Go Back Modi’ are being raised. The TMC appeases those infiltrators who have set a target to occupy Bengal. This is the real face of the TMC,” Modi said.The Prime Minister slammed the TMC while requesting the people to give the BJP a chance to form the government in the state. The crucial West Bengal assembly elections are scheduled in 2026.“Modi wants to do many things for you. Modi wants to work for Bengal with full strength. There is no dearth of money, will and schemes. But the government here is only interested in cuts and commissions. Projects worth thousands of crores of rupees are stuck,” he said.“Today I want to tell the people of Bengal about my pain. If the TMC wants to oppose Modi, they may do it a thousand times. They may oppose the BJP with full strength. But I don’t understand why the development of Bengal is being stopped. You may oppose Modi, but don’t make the people sad, don’t deprive them of their rights, don’t commit the sin of shattering their dreams. I would request the people of Bengal to give a chance to the BJP and its double-engine-government and see how fast we develop Bengal,” he added.The TMC, however, targeted the BJP over the accident in which three people were killed.“Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM Rally in Ranaghat today. Rally next to rail line. 4 went to answer nature’s call & were killed by 31814 Dn local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with the rally,” Mahua Moitra, TMC MP from Krishnanagar in Nadia wrote on X.The TMC also slammed the BJP over freezing of funds to the state by the Centre even though the Prime Minister said that there was no dearth of funds.“Then how exactly do you justify your economic blockade of Bengal? How do you justify withholding Bengal’s rightful funds to the tune of nearly ₹2 lakh crore? How do you justify denying wages to our rural poor, or blocking funds for people’s housing and even drinking water supply? How do you justify not resuming MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in Bengal despite clear directives from the Supreme Court?” the TMC wrote on X.“Modi’s speech is direction-less and politically motivated and anti-Bengal. It has added to the frustrations of the people, including Matus, who are facing problems because of the SIR. Modi could have utilised the audio speech to address the problems, but he didn’t,” said Kunal Ghosh, TMC leader.