West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 | TMC counters PM Modi's Bengal speech with 'seven-point reality check'

New Delhi: India still has the largest number of poor people in the world and four out of five Indians earn less than Rs 171 per day, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Leader Derek O'Brien said on Thursday as he shared a "fact-check" on claims made in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at a poll rally.

Taking to X, the TMC leader hit back at Modi over his speech in West Bengal's Haldia, issuing a detailed "fact check" of what he termed as seven claims made by the prime minister.

"Let's expose his 7 claims and put out a 7-point reality check," he said, adding that such rebuttals were easy to compile after each of Modi's speeches in Parliament or at public rallies.

Responding to Modi's assertion that India is progressing rapidly while the TMC is holding West Bengal back, O'Brien claimed that poverty remains widespread in the country and highlighted the state's economic growth.

He said West Bengal's gross state domestic product has increased fivefold over the past 15 years, and its exports have risen.

On the prime minister's claim that factories have shut down and workers are migrating out of the state, the TMC leader countered that the number of registered companies in West Bengal has risen significantly since 2011, indicating industrial expansion.

O'Brien said the total number of registered companies in Bengal increased from 1.37 lakh in 2011 to 2.50 lakh in 2025, up by 83 per cent, registering on average more than 7,500 companies every year.

Challenging Modi's statement that BJP-ruled states have undergone development, he pointed out that 21 crore Indians still live in 'Multidimensional Poverty' as per Niti Aayog.

"The Union government has unilaterally stopped funds of Rs 2 lakh crore owed to West Bengal," he said.

Addressing the allegation that the TMC has "betrayed" the youth, O'Brien said joblessness in West Bengal has declined and employment opportunities have increased.

"One out of three youth is not in employment, education or training in the country. Seven out of 10 graduates are unemployed. In Bengal, the unemployment rate has reduced by 40 per cent, generating over two crore employment opportunities," he said.

O'Brien alleged large-scale vacancies in various Union government departments, questioning the Centre's commitment to filling posts transparently.

Countering Modi's remarks on crimes against women in the state, the TMC leader cited official rankings that placed Kolkata among the safest cities, while also referring to incidents in BJP-ruled states to indict the ruling party's record.

"Kolkata was ranked the safest city for four years in a row as per Ministry of Home Affairs. BJP took no action against a BJP MP who sexually assaulted champion women wrestlers. Freed Bilkis Bano's rapists. Horrific incidents of Hathras, Unnao, in BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh," he said in the post.

Addressing a rally at the port city of Haldia in Purba Medinipur, Modi on Friday announced six guarantees for West Bengal if the BJP wins the Assembly polls.

He sought the ouster of the "'nirmam'" (cruel) TMC government, accusing it of "setting new parameters of development debacle and pulling the state back." Modi said he would rescue the state from the existing "reign of fear" and create an atmosphere of all-pervading "trust".