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Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his election campaign in West Bengal on Saturday by launching a scathing attack on the state’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, and her Trinamool Congress.
Speaking at a public meeting at Durgapur, 180 kms from Kolkata, the Prime Minister in no uncertain terms indicated that the Chief Minister was aiding corruption by letting syndicates run amok and for allowing extortion cartels to operate unchecked.
The Prime Minister also lambasted Mamata Banerjee for “being afraid” of investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and for “withdrawing state consent to CBI investigations”.
“If you have done no wrong, then why are you afraid of the CBI? Why the insecurity,” he said adding that “In Bengal there is a syndicate tax on everything and also a Trinamool Tolabaazi Tax (extortion rackets).”
Recalling his days as Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi pointed out to instances when he would be grilled for nine straight hours by the CBI at the behest of the Congress-led UPA government then.
“I was not afraid when the CBI grilled me in Gujarat for nine hours a day. I knew I had done nothing wrong. I never withdrew CBI consent then,” he said.
Action against corruption
In fact, Modi’s attack was not limited only to Banerjee. The so-called show of unity by parties opposing the BJP also drew the PM’s ire.
According to Modi, four years back, all these regional parties were talking to one another. Each was threatening the other with a CBI probe and alleging that the other was corrupt.
“Now that we are taking against the corrupt; that we are making them accountable to the public; all these (so called anti-BJP parties) are opposed to me and the BJP. That’s why they are ganging up,” he said.
“Every moment I am being bad-mouthed because I am taking action against the corrupt. Even the so called first families of the country are not spared. I will continue with this fight against the corrupt,” Modi added.
Citizenship Bill
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister had raked up the issue of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill at a rally in a bordering town of North 24 Parganas.
The Prime Minister had then thrown open the question as to whether opposition parties like the Trinamool will support this Bill that seeks to allow citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim religious minorities.
“We have passed the Bill in the Lok Sabha. Will the Trinamool support the passage of this Bill in the Rajya Sabha,” Modi questioned.
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