West Bengal most important state in Modi’s mission for eastern India: PM

Kolkata, May 13 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that West Bengal is the most important state in Modi’s mission for eastern India.

“Despite huge potential, eastern India has always remained neglected by the previous government. Eastern India has all the potential to become the growth engine for ‘Viksit Bharat’. West Bengal is the most important state in Modi’s mission for eastern India,” the Prime Minister said while addressing an election meeting at Barrackpore Lok Sabha in support of the sitting MP and the party candidate Arjun Singh.

On closed industries of Barrackpore, Prime Minister Modi said: “Barrackpore was once known as the economic backbone of West Bengal. Now this area has become a hub of corruption for Trinamool leaders.”

On the Sandeshkhali controversy, PM Modi said: “A new game is going on in Sandeshkhali now. The Trinamool ‘goons’ are threatening the protesting women to withdraw their complaints because the name of the principal accused is Sheikh Shahjahan. Trinamool wants to give him a clean chit. Since the beginning, the ruling party has tried to protect him,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also announced a five-point guarantee if he is voted back for a third consecutive term.

“First, under no circumstances, I will allow religion-based reservation. Second, the existing reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and the other backward classes will continue. Third, no one will be able to stop the Ram Navami celebration in the entire country including West Bengal. Fourth, no one will be able to amend the Supreme Court’s existing order on Ram Mandir. Fifth, the Citizenship Amendment Act will be implemented,” the Prime Minister said.

He said that Congress, Trinamool Congress and the other allies in the opposition INDIA bloc have surrendered to illegal infiltrators.

“That is exactly why they are giving the call for ‘vote-jihad’ against Modi,” the Prime Minister said.

A surprise gift for PM Modi in West Bengal on Mother’s Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the campaign trail to West Bengal on Sunday, received a pleasant surprise from the people while addressing a public gathering in Hooghly.

Two individuals brought hand-made portraits of PM Modi’s mother Heeraben to celebrate the mother-son bonding, on Mother’s Day. They kept flashing the portrait unless they got the attention of the Prime Minister, who urged them to hand it over to him with their name and details so that he could revert to them.

PM Modi acknowledged their endeavour and expressed gratitude for the heart-warming gesture and also added that he was highly moved by their love for him and his mother.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said that May 12 is celebrated by the Western world as Mother’s Day but for us, every day is a Mother’s Day.

“People of this country celebrate their relationship with the mother, all 365 days. From Goddess Durga to Goddess Kali to Bharat Mata, we revere all of them, on all days of the year,” PM Modi said, evoking loud applause from the gathering.

While the individuals gifted the portraits to PM Modi, the latter expressed gratitude to them and said he would try to pen a reply to them.

The video of the heart-warming moment is gaining good traction on social media, with many lauding the individuals for making the day ‘special’ for PM Modi.

A few days ago, a video of the Prime Minister recalling his relationship with his mother went viral, where he said that this was for the first time that he is going to the polls without the blessings of his mother.

“This is for the first time when I will go to file nomination without touching my mother’s feet,” an emotional Prime Minister said in a TV interview.

Freedom of speech is at stake in Bengal: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday claimed that the “freedom of speech” in West Bengal is at stake under the current Trinamool Congress government.

“The opposition voices in West Bengal are being suppressed in West Bengal. The freedom of speech of common people is at stake. In West Bengal, a person is threatened even for sharing a cartoon,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a rally at Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency in Hooghly district in support of the party candidate Arup Kanti Digar.

The Prime Minister was referring to the former professor of Jadavpur University, Dr Ambikesh Mahapatra, who was arrested by police in 2011 for sharing a cartoon of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Prime Minister said that Trinamool Congress leaders feel that they enjoy the monopoly on the culture of West Bengal. “But this is the land of Maa Durga and Maa Kali. In Bengal, censorship has been put on people’s faith. Taking the name of Lord Ram is a crime here,” the Prime Minister said.

He said that it is unfortunate that the condition of women and education are constantly deteriorating in the land of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

“The contribution of personalities like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee is being undermined in West Bengal for appeasement politics and keeping the dedicated minority vote bank happy. The Trinamool Congress leaders are constantly insulting the people coming from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes,” the Prime Minister said.

He also said that the Trinamool Congress would not be able to stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

This was the third rally addressed by the Prime Minister in the day, the first two being at Barrackpore and Hooghly.

He is scheduled to attend his fourth rally later in the day in Howrah.