KOLKATA, Dec. 20 -- After Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described the situation in Bengal as "maha jungle raj," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to "destabilise" the state by withholding funds. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh questioned why Modi visited Bengal "empty-handed" despite the Centre owing thousands of crores to the state. Senior party leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said that people in Bengal face distress not because of the state government but due to the Centre withholding Rs 1.97 lakh crore in dues. Modi had alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led party opposed the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to "save infiltrators from getting identified" and urged voters to give BJP a chance in the 2026 assembly polls to form a "double engine government."
TMC countered by claiming that Modi's speech at the Taherpur rally ignored the concerns of the Matua community, whose names have been deleted from draft electoral rolls under SIR. Ghosh alleged the BJP labelled Bengali-speaking people as "Bangladeshi" and criticised the PM for failing to address issues like blocked funds for central projects, rural housing, and drinking water schemes. Matua MP Mamatabala Thakur highlighted protests by affected Matuas, while spokesperson Arup Chakraborty mocked Modi for avoiding the venue. Bhattacharya criticised Modi's metaphor about the Ganga, saying it "will sweep away the garbage which is the BJP," and questioned his concern for the Matua community. TMC leader Bratya Basu added that the inclement weather preventing Modi from landing in Nadia symbolised that BJP may face another setback in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.