Trinamool MP Condemns Modi's Bengal Remarks: "BJP Insults Our Cultural Icons and Identity"

New Delhi:

Trinamool Congress has strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments about West Bengal during BJP's Bihar election victory celebrations. Modi suggested that Bihar has created a pathway for BJP's success in Bengal, while Trinamool firmly asserted that Bengal's people will reject the BJP.

Following NDA's sweeping victory in Bihar elections led by BJP and JDU, Prime Minister Modi addressed party workers and made remarks about Bengal, where BJP had previously gained significant ground in the 2021 elections.

"Just as the Ganga flows to Bengal via Bihar, the victory in Bihar has paved the way for our victory in Bengal," the Prime Minister stated during his hour-long address.

Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose criticized the Prime Minister, accusing him of treating Bengal as merely a conquest. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about conquering Bengal, conquest of Bengal, as if Bengal is another piece of land to add to his CV," the Trinamool MP said in a video message shared on her X handle.

Ghose presented five points challenging the PM's assertions, emphasizing that Bengal would never accept the politics of 'saam, daam, dand, bhed' - the ancient Indian strategy involving persuasion, incentives, punishments, and creating divisions.

"You will do anything to grab power. You will pay money, use muscle, intimidation, and divide and rule. The people of Bengal will not accept this saam, daam, dand, bhed version of politics where you use all possible means, foul means, just to grab power," Ghose declared.

The MP contrasted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Modi, stating that Banerjee is not a "hawai neta" (aerial leader) who travels by aircraft. "She is there 24 hours among the people. She is the person who people turn to when they are in their hour of need. She is the person who is there during natural disasters. She is on the ground 24/7. No leader in India has done as much and has worked as tirelessly for the upliftment of women as Mamata Banerjee, both in terms of welfare and political representation."

Ghose described Bengal's Kanyashree program for girls as Trinamool's "lifelong commitment," contrasting it with NDA's women-centric schemes in Bihar, which she labeled a "pre-election bribe to women" to secure votes.

She alleged that the central government has withheld funds due to Bengal, violating federalism principles because the state refuses to "dance to your tune."

Ghose accused the BJP of labeling migrant workers as "infiltrators," calling this the "dirty politics of divide and rule." She claimed these "honest citizens" trying to make a living are targeted simply because they speak Bengali.

The MP criticized the BJP for disrespecting Bengali identity and language, asserting that Bengal voters would not tolerate such treatment.

"The people of Bengal will not forget or forgive the manner in which your party taunts, mocks, insults and humiliates our language, our icons, our culture and tries to defame Bengal and Kolkata, tries to taunt our leaders and our icons who mean so much to our cultural sensitivities and our identity. You repeatedly insult the Bengal identity. No Bengal voter will tolerate this. We are the children of Vivekananda, of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, of Rabindranath Tagore. We will fight you and we will win. Jai Bangla," she concluded.

The BJP hopes to build on its best-ever performance in Bengal's last elections to secure another mandate next year and remove the Mamata Banerjee government. In 2021, the party won 77 of 294 seats, their highest ever in Bengal, while Trinamool formed the government with 215 seats.