Modi tears into Mamata, Congress-Left alliance in West Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of "adjusting" with graft and claiming her party TMC stood for "terror, maut (death) and corruption".

He also attacked the Congress for having "fallen at the Left's feet" in the state for political expediency.

"The Narada sting operation against Trinamool Congress leaders was shown on TV. It was such a big scandal, but did Didi take any step against them, or expel them from the party? Didi has adjusted with corruption," Modi told an election rally in Asansol.

Launching a frontal attack on Mamata Banerjee and her party, Modi said, "TMC stands for terror, maut (death) and Corruption."

He said the West Bengal Chief Minister boycotted meetings called by the Centre to discuss the issue of states' development and failed to bring about any transformation despite her call for 'paribortan' (change).

"What kind of a Chief Minister is she? Whenever the Centre has called a meeting to discuss development of states, Didi has boycotted it, even if it hurt her state," Modi said.
"She (Banerjee) did not attend those meetings only because Modi convened it. But whenever she visited Delhi, she met (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi and took her blessings," the Prime Minister told an election rally at Birpara in north Bengal.

Modi said, "She gave the call for Paribortan and misled the people. She talked about Ma-Mati-Manush, but there is only Maut (death) and money."

At the Asansol rally, Modi tore into the Congress-Left alliance in Bengal, saying Congress was fighting the communists in Kerala but was "falling at their feet" in Bengal.

"If there is ideological difference between them, it should be there both in Kerala and Bengal," he said, wondering whether they could be trusted.

"Please go through the videos of Congress leaders five years back when they had criticized the Left. The first-ever Left government in Kerala was dismissed by the Congress government. Now see the magic, Congress is moving behind communists by holding their hands," he said.

He said the Left and the Congress were trying to "fool" the people by fighting against each other in Kerala while at the same time forging an alliance in Bengal.

"The people will give them a befitting reply. There was a time when the Congress had over 400 members in the Lok Sabha. But now see the people's anger, the Congress' strength has come down to 40 seats," he said.

Modi also accused Banerjee of spreading terror in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency where she is pitted against Netaji Subhas chandra Bose's newphew Chandra Kumar Bose.

"No one is ready to give any space to Bose for setting up his election office. Is it democracy?" he said.

Modi also criticised Banerjee for starting a blame game immediately after the collapse of a Kolkata flyover recently instead of trying to save people's lives.

"The first thing she said was to put the blame on the Left for giving the contract of the flyover. But if the flyover was completed, would she have congratulated the Left? In such an event, she would have taken the credit for the flyover," he said.

Continuing her barbs against Banerjee, Modi said, "Chit fund business which has duped lakhs of people flourished in the state during the TMC rule. She should have taken strong action against those involved in it."

Modi said no corruption charge could be levelled against his government in the last two years. "The only agenda of my government is to bring rapid all-round development."

Claiming bomb-making factories have sprung across Bengal, Modi said the had lost its glory during the 34-year Left rule and "Didi has carried it (the downfall) forward".

Affirming his government's commitment to fighting corruption, Modi said, "I had told you earlier that those who are involved in corruption over coal will not be spared. You must have seen two days back a few people were punished and sent to jail for their involvement in corruption over coal."

Turning to infiltration from Bangladesh, he told the meeting at Birpara that the infiltrators will have to go back. He, however, said those who arrived here after being forced to leave that country would be protected.