Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Credit: PMO via PTI Photo
Kolkata: The TMC on Friday hit back sharply at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks ahead of his visit to West Bengal, accusing the Centre of withholding the state's dues, insulting its cultural identity and targeting its people, even as the party said the state would "welcome" him as a guest.
The TMC's reaction came after Modi, in a post on X, said the people of West Bengal were "suffering due to the TMC's misgovernance in every sector" and asserted that the BJP had emerged as the "people's hope".
"In the afternoon tomorrow, 20th December, I will address a BJP rally in Ranaghat. The people of West Bengal are benefiting from numerous pro-people initiatives of the Central Government. At the same time, they are suffering due to the TMC's misgovernance in every sector. The loot and intimidation of TMC have crossed all limits. That is why, BJP is the people's hope," the Prime Minister posted on X.
Responding to the accusations, the ruling party of West Bengal said the state was indeed suffering, but held the Prime Minister and his government responsible for it.
"You're right, Mr Mann-Ki-Baat Prime Minister. Bengal is suffering. But Bengal is suffering because of you," the TMC said in a post on X, charged the Centre with withholding nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in what it described as the state's "rightful dues", despite collecting over Rs 6.5 lakh crore in GST and direct taxes from the state between 2017-18 and 2023-24.
The party further alleged that the Centre had repeatedly insulted Bengal's "cultural, spiritual, and civilisational icons" and claimed that people from the state were being branded as "Bangladeshis", detained and even "illegally deported" for speaking their mother tongue.
The TMC also accused the BJP of misusing central agencies, money power and sections of the media to malign the state's image. At the same time, it said Bengal remained hospitable to visitors.
"Yet, Bengal welcomes guests. Last year, we received the second-highest number of foreign tourists in the country, and we will welcome you too," the party said, adding, "But make no mistake. The people of Bengal will reject you in 2026, just as they have in every election before that." Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit West Bengal on Saturday to address a rally at Taherpur in Nadia district and unveil highway projects, amid heightened political tension over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Taherpur falls in a Matua-dominated region, and the visit comes as the Mamata Banerjee-led government has mounted sustained opposition to the SIR exercise, alleging that large numbers of genuine voters, particularly refugee Hindus, risk disenfranchisement during the revision process.