‘Vikas Hobe’: PM Slams Mamata Govt in Purulia, Calls for Change

Purulia is a tribal-dominated district, located in the western part of West Bengal in the Jangalmahal area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 18 March, met the families and relatives of BJP workers who were killed in Purulia.

(Photo: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 18 March, slammed the Mamata Banerjee government while addressing a rally in Purulia, holding it responsible for the water crisis in the district and said that the governments so far have not let industries enter the region for development.

Purulia is a tribal-dominated district in the western part of West Bengal in the Jangalmahal area.

Targeting the Trinamool Congress for allegedly exploiting farmers in the area, Modi said that TMC didn’t allow the growth of industries in Purulia. “I know the problems faced in rearing livestock due to less water. The TMC government has been busy in its khel, leaving farmers on their own,” he added, referring to TMC’s “khela hobe” slogan .

Addressing the crowd in Bengali, PM Modi said: "Didi bole khela hobe, BJP bole chaakri hobe. Didi bole khela hobe, BJP bole vikas hobe. Didi bole khela hobe, BJP bole shiksha hobe ... Khela shesh hobe, vikas aarambh hobe. (Mamata Didi says game on, BJP says jobs, Didi says game on, BJP says development Mamata Didi says game on, BJP says Education ... Games will end, development will begin.)”

‘Land of Sitakund Facing Water Crisis’

Attacking the Left and the TMC, PM Modi said that neither governments let industries develop in the region. “These people have given Purulia a life riddled with water crisis. They have given Purulia migration, discriminatory governance, and an identity of being one of the most backward areas of the country,” Modi said.

Modi also referred to the Hindu epic Ramayana stating that the land, once home to Lord Ram and Goddess Sita in exile, ironically faces water crisis today.

“This land is a witness to Lord Ram and Goddess Sita’s exile. This land has Sitakund. It is said that when Goddess Sita was thirsty, Lord Ram got water from the ground by hitting it with an arrow. It is an irony that Purulia faces water crisis today,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday held two rallies in Purulia district where she attacked the BJP, saying that she was a ‘street fighter’ and none should dare to ‘stifle’ her. Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled to commence from March 27.

‘BJP Leaders Arrive in Choppers to Loot Votes’: Mamata

Addressing a rally in Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that BJP leaders “arrive here in choppers and planes from outside with bagful of cash to lure voters and loot votes just ahead of elections”.

Meanwhile, Banerjee admitted that the relief doled out after Cyclone Amphan might have missed ‘one’ or ‘two’ beneficiaries. Targetting the BJP leaders, she said that during the crisis none of the BJP leaders were seen.

“Thousands of crores of rupees were doled out by the TMC government for the cyclone-affected. There could have been one or two exceptions... But we rushed to be on the side of the people. Where were BJP leaders then? At the time of human miseries, they are always absent," she said.

(With Inputs from ANI and PTI)