Modi inaugurates projects in Bengal, says state 'freed from shackles'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attended an event at Tarakeswar in West Bengal's Hooghly district, marking "Paschimbanga Divas" (West Bengal Day). During the event, he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several mega projects related to railways, agriculture, fisheries, and roads. He also released the 23rd instalment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi funds for farmers across the country.

This was Modi's first visit to the state since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed a government last month, following a decisive electoral victory over the incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee. He was joined on stage by Bengal Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said West Bengal has now been "freed from shackles" and promised a new phase of development. "A new fragrance is wafting from every particle here; it feels as if Bengal has now broken free from its shackles. As if the restoration of Bengal's pride has begun. Today's event is a witness, and the launch of these projects is a testament that our Bengal has started to work building its new future," he said.

The Prime Minister claimed that the newly elected BJP government has started working at a "super-fast pace" for the state's development. He alleged that efforts were underway to undo the damage caused by decades of governance under the Left Front and later the TMC. "Work has begun in earnest to fill the potholes created in Bengal's progress over decades, first by the Left and then by the Trinamool," Modi said.

Invoking a Bengali phrase, Modi added, "Poribortonta bhalo lagche (the change feels good)", while crediting voters for ushering in political change in the state.

Modi also revisited Bengal's Partition-era history and paid tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP's forerunner. He claimed there was a conspiracy to make the whole of Bengal part of Pakistan, and that Mookerjee launched a movement to resist those efforts. "Bengal endured bloodshed, Bengal lost its own people, Bengal witnessed its motherland being torn apart, yet it never allowed its identity and essence to be destroyed," he said.

The Prime Minister targeted the Congress party, alleging it had failed to properly acknowledge Mookerjee's role in Bengal's history. "The Congress whitewashed the history of Bengal. The Congress dismissed Syama Prasad Mookerjee's contributions," he said. He further claimed that historical facts surrounding Bengal's Partition had been deliberately ignored.

Explaining how the situation has changed since the BJP government came to power, Modi said, "During the previous government's tenure, industrialists were fleeing from here, and infiltration was increasing. People united and removed the TMC, bringing the BJP to power. Now, people are getting their rights back."

Taking a swipe at the TMC, whose several leaders and former ministers have been arrested in recent weeks on corruption charges, the PM said: "Those who once looted you are now returning the looted money."

Modi is on a two-day visit to Bengal and is scheduled to participate in three public programmes, including the International Yoga Day event at Red Road in Kolkata on Sunday.