PM Narendra Modi on Saturday (January 17) said India’s younger generation was increasingly trusting the BJP’s development model, pointing to the party’s recent electoral successes in Bihar, Odisha and the recently concluded Mumbai civic body elections. Speaking at a rally in Malda, West Bengal, he strongly pitched for “parivartan” (change) in the state and launched a sharp attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
To begin with, the PM accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of being “extremely insensitive and ruthless.” He alleged that welfare benefits meant for the poor were being misused. “I want every poor household in Bengal to have its own permanent home. Those who are entitled should receive free ration,” Modi said. However, he claimed that despite funds being sent by the Centre, “the money that the Central Government sends is being looted by TMC leaders.”
Repeating the charge, PM Modi said, “The money that the Central Government sends for the poor is being looted by TMC leaders,” and added that the Trinamool government had turned into “an enemy of mine and the people of Bengal.”
Next, he linked West Bengal’s future to the national goal of making India a developed country by 2047. Referring to the BJP’s victories in Odisha, Tripura, Assam and Bihar, he said, “Now it’s time for Bengal to have a sushasan (good governance) government.”
Expanding on this theme, the PM recalled his remarks after the Bihar elections. “That’s why, after the victory in the Bihar elections, I said that with the blessings of Ma Ganga, the river of development will now flow in Bengal as well, and the BJP will make this happen,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Modi highlighted the BJP’s recent performance in urban local body polls. He described the results in Maharashtra as a “historic victory,” announced just a day earlier. “In particular, the BJP has secured a record victory for the first time in Mumbai, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), one of the world’s largest municipal corporations,” he said, calling it a major shift in state politics.
In addition, the PM pointed to the party’s growing presence in southern India. He noted that the BJP had recently elected its first mayor in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital. “This shows that even in places where winning elections was once considered impossible for the BJP, the party is now receiving unprecedented support,” he said.
According to Modi, this trend reflected the “immense trust” voters, particularly the younger generation, have placed in the BJP’s governance model. “People of India, especially Gen Z, have reposed faith in BJP’s development model. After witnessing your excitement here, I am saying this with full belief that this time people of Bengal will give BJP an overwhelming majority,” he told the crowd.
As the speech gathered momentum, the Prime Minister led a call-and-response slogan. “I will say ‘paltano dorkar’ (there is a need for change),” he said, urging people to respond with “chai BJP sarkar” (we want a BJP government).
Finally, Modi accused the West Bengal government of blocking central health initiatives. “Bengal is the only state where Ayushman Bharat is not allowed. TMC people do not let poor people get help from my scheme,” he said, asserting that it was time for the state to “say goodbye to this kind of cruel government.”